Taming the Corrupted
by Hidey-Hoodie
Summary: Gwen is a wolf half-Faunus that looks like a Schnee. But her scars and her nerves tell a story of being chased repeatedly by men who want to kill her. Her brother James is gone and now Team RWBY wants to help her adjust to a normal life. If only she knew what help was. (Sequel to "What Happiness Hides" Need to read to understand some of the story. Also being revised)
1. Bad Day - Revised

She was not having a good day. In fact this was probably the worst day of her entire life. If not then it was a very close second.

It had started out with an attack from some Grimm. That in of itself was normal, something she had come to deal with like one dealt with taking out the trash. The Beowolf that had attacked had made the mistake of attacking her blind side. After years of running for her life desperate instincts had formed. So she was still half asleep when she pulled her sword and sliced its head clean in half through the creature's mouth.

After rubbing her palm into her single eye she had woken up. By then the body had started dissolve and she started to panic. The floating black specks were as bad as making a fire, if not worse. The men that chased her never attacked Grimm as a general rule for only she did. That way they could find her easier if they lost her trail. And she had lost them the night before so now they knew where she was.

She turned to run but ended up falling to her knees and puking up what little food she had eaten the night before. Again this was actually quite normal but she didn't have time for it. She had to get the hell out of the area. So she gagged and staggered back to her feet. Maybe if she was lucky she could puke on the men after her. That would be a good distraction but also meant she had to be dangerously close to them.

"There she is! Get here!" Shit. She had run in the wrong direction. A whimper escaped her lips and she flicked her ears back as bullets started flying. A bullet had torn a hole in one of her ears before and she didn't want to take that chance again. The wound had healed, thanks to what her brother had called an aura that everyone had, but even he was alarmed with how fast it had been healed.

Rapidly changing directions she tore off, bare feet scrambling for a grip in the snow. Desperate instincts came into play again and she sheathed her sword before pushing up and grabbing one of the tree branches. The men had a tendency to trip up when she was in the canopy, not looking where they were going. However she had used all the traps in the last few days and her brother had been gone for nearly a month meaning she no longer had the supplies to reset those traps.

__I can use the cliff again. It's a desperate measure and I'm likely to break my legs again but rather that than lose my life. __Shaking her head she turned in the direction of the massive cliff that had a single stone at the top. James had called it a gravestone years ago but he never said where it came from. Behind her the men kept following and occasionally firing at her. Bullets scraped her skin, drawing blood and making her leave a trail. She flinched with each one but continued on. Maybe she would lose them in the climb.

Suddenly her stomach rebelled again. Paling she slipped out of the canopy and tumbled to the ground. The men leered at her as she staggered back to her feet. Shit shit shit. This wasn't good.

Then the food forced its way out of her mouth and onto one of the men's feet. The reaction was instant. They jerked back in disgust and alarm. Grimacing she wiped her hand across her mouth and started to get up.

Instincts came into play again. She jerked her head to the side as the click of a trigger being pulled registered in her ears. The gunshot was loud and deafened her, the bullet scraping her cheek. Without thinking she pulled her blade and twisted, swinging it in a high arc. The man's head was neatly separated from his body. She paled again, this time for a different reason. The group got more driven when she killed one of them.

Black smoke, much like that of a dissolving dead Grimm, formed a barrier as triggers were pulled together. She had no control over her aura in these situations, situations that was truly life or death. Her body was moving, not under her control. A powerful jump, one that sent a shockwave, and she was back into the canopy, running away. The men staggered to their feet and shouting vengeance tore after her.

So it was no surprise that they followed her up the cliff with ease, vengeful anger driving their needs. She was gulping for air, her aura weak after healing her busted eardrum and forming that barrier. If she made it to the edge of the cliff it would be a damn miracle.

Ice over the branches caused her to slip and tumble to the ground again. This time she was able to roll to her feet and keep moving. Every now and then she would glance behind her, seeing the men. They looked the same as always, clad in all black armor and clothing with a white snowflake on the right arm. The guns pointed at her were no different although she often wondered how the hell they still had ammo.

After all they had been playing this game for 14 years now.

__They called in back-up! Fuck! __The metal that had slammed into her head was cold and harsh, much like reality. Yelping in pain she staggered away, tripping over her feet in the process. She bumped into something soft and hard at the same time that was warmer than anything she had ever encountered before. However the arm that wrapped around her neck said that she wasn't dead yet and was very much alive.

Another grabbed her chin and jerked her face up. A pair of amber, cat like eyes peered down at her and she kicked out weakly. She did not like that glare at all. It was a glare of death. Although she couldn't ever remember when the men had taken off their helmets. Speaking of which what had happened to them? She wasn't hearing a conversation between the two groups.

Snow crunched beneath booted feet. Her ears twitched at the familiar sound. Something swished through the air before a cold metal blade settled under her chin. She gulped, raising her single eye to a pair of cold silver ones. The owner wasn't wearing the armor the men wore. In fact none of the three she could see were armor and she doubted the one holding her was wearing armor. So that raised the question of who the hell were these women?

"Who the hell are you?" a voice growled. It belonged to the woman with the red cloak and silver eyes. Her ears twitched and flattened as she whimpered slightly in fear. She didn't like that tone at all. It was tone that promised death.

"Ruby calm down," the white one commanded softly. Her hand closed around the handle of the massive weapon and tugged it down gently. A silent conversation was shared between the two, with more than one glance back at her. She didn't like this at all and struggled weakly again. The grip around her neck tightened slightly. A warning then. She whimpered once and dropped her head.

They didn't know who she was yet still raised their blades to her. There had to be a reason for that but she couldn't think of any. Of course she didn't know what she had initially done to those men as well. She figured that killing a few of them warranted a desire to kill her.

"Do you know what is in that direction?" It was the amber eyed one again. She was pointing in the direction of the gravestone and the only spot one could jump off this blasted cliff.

"James called it a gravestone." Her voice was rough and harsh. She hadn't spoken in nearly a month, when she had last seen her brother. Eyes widened slightly as they processed she had spoken.

"Do you know who put it there?"

"No. I don't even know who it's for." She knew what a gravestone was. Hell there was a graveyard off to the east for the people that had came but never left. The men that chased her were a vicious unforgiving lot.

"So what were you doing to do?"

"Jump off the cliff. I would have lost the men chasing me." It was getting easier to speak again. The roughness was leaving her voice. "What happened to them?" She tried looking around to find the men. Surely they hadn't left?

"They're dead," the white one explained. She flinched and whimpered again. The entire group? That wasn't good. The next lot to come would be way too vicious then. She could actually die.

"Why were they chasing you?" the silver eyed one asked. Her tone was still a little harsh and a little terrifying but it was clear she wanted answers now. Not to kill.

"I don't know what I initially did. I have killed a few of them before but that just makes them angry and more desperate to kill me. Please let me go. They're going to come after me worse than before. They'll think I killed the others." Looks were shared and she wanted nothing more than to tear away from the one holding her in place. The grip was really loose now, not really restraining her but still there. She didn't want to fight it though. The warmth was intoxicating in a way.

"We can help you if you'd like," the white one finally offered. She tilted her head to the side as the grip on her neck finally was released. More snow crunched as the other moved around to be seen. She held back in the whimper of lose. She liked that warmth. "Let's try it this way. I'm Weiss S...Belladona." The white one and the amber eyed one shared a look.

"I'm her sister Blake Belladona," the amber eyed one explained, gripping Weiss' shoulder in a supporting way. Sister. That's what she was to James, her brother. He was likely dead though. She hadn't seen him in a month.

"I'm Ruby Rose," the silver eyed one muttered. She had finally put away her weapon but still looked uneasy. Or hurt. One of the two.

"I'm Yang Xiao Long," the last one said, giving Ruby's shoulder a squeeze. The two also shared a look before Ruby looked away. Weiss pursed her lips and reached over to grip the red clad woman's hand in hers. "So who are you?"

"Gwen," she answered quietly. She knew what a last name was but didn't know her own. However there was something more important to ask. "What does 'help' mean?"

**A/N Hello and welcome to the revised edition to the this chapter. Yup that's right. Revised. Little things really, grammar and words that needed to be added. On to the important stuff.**

****To those of you who picked this story simply because of Ice-Flower shipping well that isn't really the focus of this story but it will definitely be in here. Also to understand what the hell I'm talking about with Weiss and Blake being sisters well you have to read my other story ****What Happiness Hides ****to understand that. In fact that's the prequel to this. So shoo. Go read that then come back.****

****Technically this story is two years ahead of cannon. Most events I'll be making up but I'm not denying there's gunna be war and all that. It's kind of painfully obvious. Sadly the dinosaur won't be making a camo in my story like it has done in every season of RWBY thus far.****

****One last thing I'd like to add. Gwen is the OC that's going to be paired with Yang. But not like that way in which the cannon character falls hopelessly in love with the OC for no apparent reason. Hell no. I hate reading that myself. But! To find out exactly how it plays out you have to keep reading! I'm not going to spoil it. So enjoy folks! ****


	2. Un-Trusting - Revised

The air was tense. In the shocked silence that had followed Gwen's question the woman had nearly run off. The ears on top her head were still flicking nervously as she squirmed in her seat beside Weiss. Even Ruby had forgotten about the reason they were there in the first place for a brief moment when asked what 'help' was.

It had taken them nearly an hour to explain what 'help' was and to convince Gwen that it was a good thing. It had taken further convincing to get her to follow them off the cliff, away from the place she had just come from. Finally Yang had picked the taller woman up (Gwen was nearly a head taller than the brawler) and carried her onto the airship before buckling her into a seat.

Weiss now had to work on calming the nervous Faunus down. For whatever reason she only took the fencer's word. And even then it took a while. It helped when the whitette used the same tone she spoke to those in the infirmary. Calm and gentle but firm.

Gwen let out a startled yelp when the airship took off and started struggling with her straps again. She kept pressing at the metal hoping to get lucky and undo the magic that kept her in place. Everything was new and terrifying and all she wanted was to run back to the cliff and jump off. She'd take the angrier group of men than this right now.

"Gwen calm down! You're fine okay? We're all fine." Pursing her lips Weiss gingerly reached up and ran her fingers through the Faunus' hair, right around the base of her pointed ears. Across the way Blake narrowed her eyes but let it slide. Gwen was more attuned to her animal instincts than she was and obviously didn't know of the hatred directed toward Faunus and just how insulting the motion could be. For her part Gwen stiffened at the contact, blue eye going wide, before slumping and whimpering softly with fear. She angled her head toward Weiss, silently asking for more petting. "It's alright Gwen. You're safe okay? We won't let anything or anyone hurt you."

"I don't trust you," Gwen mumbled, earning herself a small sigh from the team. It was the first she had spoken since asking her question and her voice was laced with fear. "You'll just shoot my in my sleep." Even so she was starting to get drowsy, eyelid drooping. It wasn't long before she slumped entirely, still tense even in her sleep. She was such a fearful woman.

"So how do we explain this to Ozpin?" Yang asked, taking in the scene before her. Somehow Gwen had managed to curl into a ball in her straps, her head resting in Weiss' lap. The fencer was still petting the Faunus, an almost guilty look on her face. Her other hand was gently holding one of Ruby's, whose head was resting on her partner's shoulder.

"Exactly how it happened," the black and red haired woman answered quietly. There was a fair amount of hurt in her voice and it took all of Yang's self control to stay in her seat. The air in the area was usually very violent and created a lot of dangerous turbulence. She slid her foot across the aisle and nudged her sister's boot. Ruby focused on her and the blonde gave her sister a sad smile that was weakly returned.

"And the men? What do we say about them?" Blake had noticed the livid fear of which Gwen spoke of the men. She had a feeling most of the scars that adorned the woman's body were caused by that group. And she hadn't missed the snowflake on their shoulders.

"That area is in the same area as the Kelling family compound."

"True. But Gwen doesn't have wings."

"The Kelling family wasn't limited to purely bird type Faunus. It was just rare to find one that wasn't." A thick silence filled the airship again. Even the woman of discussion seemed to notice although that could have been the engine noise. If she wasn't used to it then the sound could be very irritating to her pointed ears. She whimpered softly and buried her face into Weiss' stomach, prompting a small squeak of alarm from the former heiress.

"I wonder what happened to her eye," Weiss whispered softly, brushing her fingers over the black cloth that wrapped around Gwen's head. A small flinch and the cowering told her to not do that again. Sighing heavily the whitette resumed petting the Faunus between her ears.

Ruby decided to not let silence build again and called Ozpin. Focusing on the situation would be a good distraction from the way her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She knew it wasn't really good to ignore the pain but she could manage until she was alone. Maybe with Yang. Or Weiss. The former heiress had become less harsh around her over the past two weeks and stopped expecting a hyperactive response from her. It was a nice change of pace and she didn't get the annoying questions of 'what's wrong?' and her favorite 'are you okay?'. Weiss knew better than to ask.

"What's the problem Miss Rose?" Ozpin greeted, getting straight to the point. He knew without a doubt that the team could handle themselves in just about any situation. Hell he had only offered back-up as courtesy and a school requirement. So something big had to have happened for them to call.

Ruby explained the situation in a low voice so as to not to disturb the sleeping Faunus. She kept whimpering and snuffling in her sleep, hands curling and uncurling periodically. Ozpin's expression was carefully blank but even he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes. He agreed that sending more people to the area would be a risk but they needed answers. If anyone was to be deployed they would have to be experts in stealth and caution.

"It's going to take a lot to convince Gwen to trust us enough," Ruby concluded, glancing at the tall woman. She didn't look very tall, curled awkwardly on her seat. "She's expecting us to shoot her while she's sleeping."

"That we will not do. She may hold answers that we have been searching for," Ozpin said with a frown. He understood why the Faunus would be so untrusting and didn't like it. He only hoped that she didn't know any of the politics of the world. If she knew nothing they could blend her into society better. If she did know something...the task got infinitely harder.

"I think we may have a way around that," Weiss said suddenly. Ruby rose her eyebrow to her friend and tilted the scroll toward her. Ozpin gestured for her to continue. "In the entire conversation I was the only one Gwen could look in the eyes. I'm not sure why but it means something."

"Very well then. Gwen will be under the care of Team RWBY, more specifically you Weiss. Good luck." The call ended with a soft click.

"Well that was a thing," Yang grumbled, turning her lilac eyes to the Faunus that was still asleep. Blake hummed in agreement, a little annoyed that Weiss had kept petting Gwen. "What do we do first?"

"Get her cleaned up and get her some clothes," the cat Faunus answered without missing a beat. Her eyes were starting to water because of the smell. "We may even have to cut her hair." The matted lengths were a very dark gray although they weren't sure if that was because of coloring or having never been washed. It was pulled into a messy pile that was seemingly like a ponytail combined with a bun. Even so the locks still reached to the small of her back.

"That'll be a challenge. Do you think she knows what water even is?"

"I'm sure she does," Weiss said sternly, a frown forming on her lips. "We'll have to take this slowly, whatever we do. If we try to do things too fast she'll likely try to run again."

"I agree," Ruby mumbled. She remembered when she had been really depressed. It had been when Yang first went off to Signal. Her father had tried to keep things as normal as possible but it __wasn't __normal with Yang gone. Maybe the idea of keeping things as normal as they could would help Gwen feel more at ease. "Let's start by trying to act as normal as we can. If we're not nervous it might help Gwen be less nervous. She seems to understand things better through actions rather than words."

"Actions speak louder than words," Blake concluded, nodding her head in agreement. "We'll still have to help her but then again we are a helping bunch being Huntresses." The team smiled at each other, Ruby's a little painful but she welcomed the distraction.

"So! It's settled. We'll stay calm and that'll help her be calm. But yah Blake you're right. We need to see what's beneath all the dirt."

**A/N Huh. My original Author's Note had nothing of interest and neither do I in the revision. Weird. Oh well. Ciao.**


	3. This Isn't the Afterlife - Revised

Gwen frowned, examining the sight she had woken up to. The correct terms were on the tip of her tongue. It just had been forever since she last spoke them.

"Ceiling," she whispered quietly, pointing upward. Her ears flicked around, hearing faint heart beats but nothing close enough to be in the area with her. Slowly she sat up, something falling off her shoulders in the process. She grasped the somewhat thick material and examined it. "Blanket." Her gaze swung around the room, identifying each object as it came into her focus. "Floor, couch, table…" She frowned and stood, walking over to the large black rectangle.

It wasn't very thick, despite its width and height. Cables hung from the back of it and went to a much smaller box on the floor. The Faunus brushed her fingers against its edges, feeling a strange smoothness to it. It reminded her a lot of James' blade, the blade that had once been their papa's. Speaking of which were was her own blade? She felt off balance without its familiar weight hanging at her hip.

A single blue eye scanned the area before landing on one of the other couches. There was her weapon, the bone white blade standing out against the dark material. Smiling to herself Gwen walked over and picked it up. She ran her thumb over the cutting edge, relishing the sharpness that drew a faint amount of blood. If she had her sword then she wouldn't have to rely on her aura to fight. When she used her aura to fight she never remembered the fight.

Sticking her thumb into her mouth Gwen ran her gaze over the blade. She wasn't sure where she had gotten from. None of the men carried blades, only the Dust guns. And James had said the blade itself was made of legit bone. Even so he couldn't explain the red decorations closer to the back. The handle itself was simply made of black leather and had two twisted metal parts connecting from the hilt, arching to cover the actual grip, and then rejoining at the pummel. Wielding it felt right and gave her a form of comfort. With her blade she could take on anything.

Gwen frowned. Well maybe not anything. She was pretty positive she had been killed and this was the afterlife. It was the only logical ending to her situation to the young woman. Although the room smelled an awful lot like Weiss and the rest. Maybe she wasn't dead? No no that wasn't the case. She was most definitely dead.

Sighing she sheathed her blade and stood again, feeling centered and balanced. She didn't know where she was but that was okay. In a few hours the others in the other rooms would wake up and explain the situation to her. In the mean time it wouldn't hurt to write what had happened down.

James had explained to her years ago it was a good idea to write everything down on the scroll he had given her. Its only function was just that, writing, but he had said scrolls could be used for a multitude of things. She had initially been against the idea like any scared five year old but after the first fight she didn't remember Gwen had changed her tune. Now it was more a desperate act of formality. She remembered reading a story where the main character wrote daily in a diary. It had seemed like the most normal thing to her then. After one usually can't claim killing five men and numerous Grimm at age seven.

Surprisingly all her old entries were still in the scroll. Gwen hummed and settled back onto the couch, staring for a moment before realizing not everything was as cold as snow and the blackened trees of her...what even was the area she had spent the entirety of her life in? She sure as hell wouldn't call it home. Papa had said home was where you were loved and while she knew her brother had loved her dearly the two were often under a lot a stress.

Absently Gwen reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. She flinched, feeling the dirt and various old scars. Her hand came in contact with the cloth wrapped around her head and she sighed. James had said that she didn't have an eye on that side but Gwen vaguely remembered seeing things coming from the right. He was wrong, she knew that, but she still wore the cloth. Well she was dead now. She could take it off.

That proved more difficult than she thought. Growling softly Gwen tugged again, this time pulling out a few strands of hair. Thankfully the cloth came off as well and fell limply into her hand. She didn't remember if it was black initially and didn't really care. It was gone now and that was that.

Gulping with fear Gwen slowly opened her right eye. Maybe she had gone blind during the years she had been told to keep it covered. There had certainly been enough attacks to that side. She flinched when remembering the attacks and fully opened her vision.

Things suddenly sprung out in clearer detail than before. She had always had good night vision but now it was like the middle of a clear day. Gwen gasped, a small sound of delight that had never left her lips before. James had been wrong! She knew she could still had her eye she knew it!

Smiling softly to herself she turned her attention back to her scroll. Adding the latest events wouldn't be a problem. She could read, she could write. Briefly it crossed her mind that maybe she would see James again. He was likely dead. He never stayed away longer than a week although she always wondered how long their supplies would really last. They had at least lasted her a month but then again she rarely ate on account of throwing most of it up.

A faint bird chirp reached her hearing. Gwen's top set of ears swiveled back, towards the sound. She looked up from her scroll, noting the slightly brighter light and the increased activity beyond the walls of the room. Intrigued the Faunus stood, slipping the scroll into her pocket. She padded over to the window and tugged aside the curtain. Thrown into this setting the words were flowing back to her. Gwen somewhat remembered her life before the men arrived. Papa had been a tall lanky man, with white hair and blue eyes like Weiss, and she had taken after him. James had taken after their mama, with gray hair and gray eyes and gray wings.

"What is this strange afterlife?" the Faunus muttered under her breath, watching a bird fly through the air. It had been very rare to see any animals in the area she had come from but not unheard of. She had never seen so many before at one time.

Her ears twitched again as a door opened and closed, then stayed back toward the gentle __thud __of booted feet. Gwen swiveled her head in the direction of the person coming, ears perked and alert. She stayed stock still, a habit she had picked up from the few animals that had roamed her snowy little life before.

"Whoa hey didn't think you'd be awake," Yang stated, stopping short upon seeing Gwen by the window. The Faunus looked shocked then terrified. Her mouth hung open a little, revealing that a section of her teeth were blood red fangs like the Beowolves they had encountered the day before. One was longer than the rest.

"Wha? You didn't kill me?!" Gwen choked out, hand falling to her sword. Yang grinned slightly and laced her fingers behind her head. This could be fun. Maybe she could get a workout partner from this.

"Nah course not. It's like Weiss said we're gunna help you." The Faunus flinched and contemplated drawing her weapon. If she could over power the blonde she'd be clear to make a run for it. "You know how to fight without that?" The curious question stopped the woman's escape planning.

"I think so. Usually if I don't have my sword my aura activates and then I don't remember the fight." Yang frowned and dropped her hands. That was weird.

"Well c'mon. I'll teach you how to fight without the sword and without your aura." Gwen perked up, perplexed at the concept. The brawler nodded to herself and walked to the door. Behind the Faunus followed, bouncing on her heels like an eager puppy. "By the way what Faunus type are you? I don't want to accidentally call you a cat or something."

"Ah wolf," Gwen answered, the word slipping from her tongue with ease. It felt right to say that and she smiled. Yang nodded and led the way to the gym. "Is being a Faunus a bad thing?" The blonde glanced behind her shoulder, blinking then looking up. Usually she was the tallest one. Gwen's head was tilted to the side, a curious expression on her face. Ruby may have been onto something when she said actions speak louder than words.

"To some people it is," she answered with a scowl. Gwen hummed. "And those same some think it's worse to be a half-Faunus because other humans accepted and loved Faunus."

"That's what I am. A half-Faunus." Yang paused and turned a questioning gaze to Gwen. The wolf Faunus flinched and stopped looking at her. The blonde sighed and dropped her gaze.

"You're sure?" she asked, trying to salvage the situation. Gwen gulped and nodded, looking over slightly. The motion was akin to someone looking up through their bangs but Yang was shorter than the wolf Faunus. "Which one of your parents was human?"

"Papa. He looked a lot like Weiss. White hair and blue eyes. And he was tall too." Yang hummed and started walking again. Then she stopped again and turned back to Gwen. The woman squeaked and started getting panicky. It was then the blonde finally noticed what was different.

"If you had both your eyes why did you where the cloth?" she asked, stepping a little closer. Gwen choked as her hand flew up to the right side of her face. Yang grabbed her wrist and slowly tugged it down. "It's not a bad thing Gwen. I'm just curious." This close the brawler could smell the odor coming from the half-Faunus.

"James said it wasn't there," she muttered, looking away. Yang frowned and gently brought her other hand up to cup the woman's chin. Keeping the gentle motions she tugged Gwen's head back around and studied the area that had been previously hidden. "Is it not there? I can see out of it. Is that from magic or something?"

"No no your eye is there. It's just...was it always red?" The iris was a blood red, much like a Grimm's eye, and glowed faintly as well. Gwen frowned and shook her head, matted hair swishing with the motion.

"It was blue last I knew. Of course that could be because my eye was injured when the men first arrived. A bullet ricocheted off something and crossed over my face. Then there was a bunch of Grimm and James killed one of them that was standing over me and…" She paused, trying desperately what had happened then. Maybe she had blacked out because of the injury.

"That's how you got the scar."

"That one at least." Yang smiled sadly and finally stepped away from Gwen. The half-Faunus slumped with relief and trailed after the blonde with a slightly fearful air.

"Who's James?" the brawler asked gently, trying to not scare the woman.

"My older brother. He's a half-Faunus too. But he's got wings." This time Yang didn't visibly react to her shock and surprise. Actions speak louder than words. She had to remember that. The more at ease Gwen was the more information she would give out. "And gray hair and gray eyes. He looked like Mama. I looked like Papa. Eep!" Yang whirled, expecting trouble, and was utterly shocked by what she saw.

The two had made it outside. Now Gwen was staring wide eyed at a leaf that was lazily drifting in the wind. Only her eyes moved, calculating something. Hesitantly she reached out, trying to grab it. But like any other time it drifted away suddenly and she jumped back again. Yang was viciously reminded of when Ruby was still young and Summer was still around. The scythe wielder had been so so happy back then.

"What is it?" Gwen whispered, breaking Yang out of her memories. She had managed to catch the leaf somehow and was presenting it to the blonde. "Yang Yang what is it? Where does it come from? How did it get here?" Chuckling softly Yang pointed to the trees. Gwen gasped and scampered over, nearly smacking into the trunk. "What?! Why do the trees have these things?!"

"They're called leaves," Yang answered, walking over. She was smiling at the sheer excitement Gwen was portraying. It was a nice, welcome change from the fearful woman who couldn't look anyone in the eyes. "They grow on trees during the spring, when a lot of life is born. During the summer they're green and provide some nice shade from the sun. Right now they're turning orange, red, and yellow because of the sun being out less. During the winter there's no leaves on the trees."

"So so this is fall?! I've only read about it. We always lived in the snow. Papa said fall was a beautiful season." Yang watched with perplexed amusement as Gwen ran around the tree, examining it from different angles. Her beeping scroll pulled her attention away from the excited wolf.

"Hey Yang do you know where Gwen is?" Ruby's voice said as soon as the blonde accepted the call. Yang glanced up in time to see Gwen jump into the lowest branches of the tree with ease. Her mouth dropped with shock before she shook her head. Running for your life all the time was definitely a way to gain strength.

"Yah she's with me. Freaking out over leaves but in a good way."

"Really?"

"Little kid in a candy store really."

"Okay then. Has she spent her whole life in the Woods of Eternal Winter?"

"She said as much. I was going to the gym and she was awake. She thought this was the after life. I told her I could teach her how to fight without a weapon and so yah. Here we are. Gwen! You're going to hurt yourself if you go any higher!"

"No I won't!" the wolf Faunus laughed. It was a sound Yang hadn't expected to hear from the woman. "I've jumped off a cliff and only broken my legs before. And that was way higher than this!"

"Well can you come down anyway? We still have to get to the gym!" Yang turned her attention back to her scroll. "We'll talk more when we get back. I have to redirect her attention elsewhere."

"Alright good luck Yang," Ruby laughed before ending the call. The blonde sighed and turned her attention back to the wolf Faunus. Gwen landed with ease, bending her legs and crouching. One hand rested on her sword and the other on the ground. She peered around, eyes wide and calculating. Yang raised an eyebrow.

"C'mon nothing's going to attack you here," she said, walking on toward the gym. Gwen scampered after her and danced around, dashing from tree to tree. It was a damn miracle she didn't run into one until Yang remembered she was always running from those men.

__Those tattoos are like the marks on Grimm bone armor. __And it was true. The red marks that flowed over Gwen's skin were pretty damn close to the decorations Grimm carried. Oddly enough they only stayed in certain areas. The areas that armor would cover on the knights in the stories. Yang frowned. Now why was that?

"Alright here we are," the brawler said, opening the gym door. Gwen walked in, ears perked and looking around curiously. Yang shook her head. The wolf Faunus was just as excitable as a puppy right now. It was definitely a welcome change from the way she shook with fear.

"So so what is this place?" The brawler chuckled and started giving her a tour. Gwen insisted on trying out the different machines. Yang complied, mentally thinking a workout wouldn't be such a bad idea. She could save the training for another time, when Gwen was more at ease and when they knew just what she could do.

__How the hell is she so strong?! __Yang closed her mouth and focused on spotting Gwen as she lifted a set of weights. That had 500 lbs on each side. Muscles rippled underneath the scars and tattoos and it was only then that the brawler became aware of the sheer body builder look the wolf Faunus had. It didn't seem normal though, even if the woman had spent her entire life running to live. Hell by all rights she should be nothing more than a skeleton covered by skin.

"We should head back now," Yang said about two hours later. Gwen nodded, ears swiveling as she picked up the sounds of the school coming to life. Both women were covered in sweat and grime, Yang even more so than Gwen. "Let's jog back as a cool down."

"What's 'cool down'?" Gwen asked even as she matched Yang's pace with easy. In fact she didn't even appear to be jogging. More a speed walking. The brawler started explaining what they were doing was and why it was so important. She noted quietly that as long as Gwen was being distracted with new things then she appeared very normal. A bit of 'intellectual' as Neptune had put it but it could be much worse considering her past.

The two made it back to the dorm without any incident. Yang grinned her thanks and started eating the small breakfast that had been set out for her. Gwen paused at the table and eyed the food with concern.

"What's wrong Gwen?" Weiss asked, stepping up the tall woman. Blake noted with some amusement that without her heels the fencer only reached Gwen's elbow. Dual colored eyes swung to her and then back to the food.

"I usually don't keep anything I eat down," the wolf Faunus mumbled, looking down and scuffing the ground with her foot. "James says I'm ah-ler-gic." She said the word slowly, sounding it out while scrunching up her nose. Weiss frowned and nodded.

"It's alright. We can run some tests to know what it is exactly that you're allergic to later. For now how about we get you cleaned up some okay?" The two left the room, leaving Blake, Yang, and Ruby. Attention turned to the brawler.

"She freaked out over leaves?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. Yang sighed and swallowed her food. Then she leaned back, keeping her feet of the table lest she get a lecture from Weiss.

"Yah. And pretty much everything in the gym," the blonde answered. Blake frowned as Ruby hummed in her throat. "Gwen almost appeared normal when I told her about everything. Kind of little kid eager for knowledge normal but still normal."

"That makes sense," Blake said, rubbing her nose. The smell was still lingering a little although Yang could be partly to blame. "She has been cut off from the rest of the world for a very long time."

"That's true. And it certainly helps us with the whole helping her adjust to this life thing."

"Unless she asks about her family," Ruby pointed out. Yang frowned and Blake sighed. "We'll just have to keep her attention elsewhere until we know more."

**A/N That last Author's Note didn't have anything of interest. Just me fangirling over Coco and laughing at Goodwitch's pissed expression. Oddly enough the original copy of this chapter was posted on Halloween in which I was an early version of Gwen. She had more of a pirate look then. I'm more at ease with her current style. It seems cooler to me. **


	4. Cover Story - Revised

Weiss Belladona frowned at the scrambled eggs she was making. They needed a cover story for Gwen, one that would explain her numerous scars and jumpy personality. Being a long lost Huntress was out as the community was a very close knit one.

"Gwen's with Yang. They're going to the gym where Yang's going to teach her about fighting without a weapon," Ruby stated, walking into the room while putting away her scroll. Weiss hummed and indicated to the coffee maker. The younger woman rolled her eyes and did as asked. They both knew Blake wouldn't get up without the smell of the caffeine drink floating through the dorm.

"What do you think of Gwen being mercenary?" Weiss asked, voicing the idea that had been bouncing around in her head. Ruby blinked at her. "As a cover for her scars and jumpy personality."

"It could work. I was thinking that it wouldn't need explanation as she's a Faunus."

"Well yes. But that won't explain why she was where we found her. I was thinking that maybe we could play her off as part of a mercenary group that was hired as security guards for some investigators who were looking into what happened to the Kelling family. We could say that Grimm attacked and killed most of the group. Gwen managed to survive and only recently was able to put out a call for help. That's why we were there."

"I...thank you Weiss." Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss' waist and pulled her into a hug with Weiss' back against Ruby's front. The fencer blushed slightly at the contact and tilted her head to see her friend's face. Her silver eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Weiss tentatively reached up with her free hand and cupped Ruby's chin.

"It's not something you need to thank me for Ruby," the former heiress mumbled softly. A somewhat pained smiled tugged at the scythe wielder's lips. Weiss put the spatula down and turned in Ruby's arms so the two were facing each other. The taller woman leaned down and bumped their foreheads together.

"I think I've already said a lot of people told me to get over it. Really it was only Yang who never told me that directly. I know she wanted me to feel better but she was never insensitive about how she went about it. You're a special person Weiss." The whitette blushed at the comment and couldn't meet her friend's gaze.

"You two would make a cute couple," Blake grumbled, walking in on the scene. The two jumped apart, each sporting a massive blush. Weiss turned back to the eggs as Ruby scrambled to grab some plates. The cat Faunus staggered to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee, sweetening the bitterness with milk. "Don't let me stop your cuddle fest."

"Drink your coffee Blake," Weiss said, fighting down her blush. She stabbed the eggs angrily with the spatula. Ruby walked over, a sheepish expression on her face, putting the plates down. Blake grumbled something and fell into a seat at the table, wrapping her hands around her mug.

The silence that filled the room was slightly awkward on Ruby's and Weiss' part. They were both thinking about what Blake had said in her half asleep state. The cat Faunus wasn't really a morning person, given she stayed up late with her cat like nature. What they were trying to ignore was the pleasant feeling that had sparked at being called a couple.

"Where's Gwen?" Blake asked suddenly, breaking the silence. She was more awake now, having drank at least half her mug. Ruby explained the current situation gladly as Weiss put down three plates on the table. Each plate had a balanced breakfast. Since getting an extended dorm the fencer had taken it upon herself to make meals for the team. Yang pitched in as well, knowing a lot about dinners and such. She never said why by Weiss could guess.

"We're trying to come up with a good cover story for Gwen's situation. Weiss probably has the best idea yet. And maybe the only idea that's somewhat plausible." Two gazes turned to the former heiress. She cleared her throat and started explaining the idea.

"That could actually work," Blake finally said. She was thinking clearly now after eating and finishing the cup of coffee. "The tattoos could be explained that way too."

"A way to bind them together and make sure no one can sneak into the group."

"Precisely. And by saying it was mostly Faunus in the group explains how she relies heavily on her animal instincts. Some Faunus embrace their animal traits a lot more than others. It's their way of claiming to be better than humans."

"That fits in with a security detail as well. The only hitch is getting Gwen to act like someone who knows normal things like money transactions and what not." Another thick silence filled the room.

It was broken by Yang and Gwen walking back into the room. Both were covered in a light layer of sweat and grime. Yang was panting slightly but Gwen looked perfectly fine. She actually looked more normal than they expected, with her shoulders back and ears perked. Her eyes were slightly wide, taking everything in, and Weiss had to tell herself not to stare. There was definitely a reason as to why her right eye was glowing red and not light blue like the other.

Yang flopped into a seat and started eating the breakfast laid out. Weiss rolled her eyes at the blonde and turned her attention to the taller Faunus. She was eyeing the food warily, like it might jump up and bite her.

"What's wrong Gwen?" Weiss asked, gently touching the woman's elbow. She wouldn't be able to reach her shoulder. Gwen turned a sheepish look to her then to the food and finally to the floor. She scuffed the tile with her foot.

"I usually don't keep anything I eat down," she muttered softly, almost guiltily. Weiss frowned. That wasn't good. Why was she so healthy looking then? "James said I'm ah-ler-gic." The way she wrinkled her nose in thought reminded Weiss of when her sister was much younger and couldn't understand what the difference was between her and the former heiress.

"It's alright. We can run some tests to know what it is exactly that you're allergic to later. For now how about we get you cleaned up some okay?" Weiss lead the Faunus out of the common room and to the bathroom. It was going to take a while to get the woman cleaned up. Blake and Ruby could explain the cover story to Yang.

"I remember this sort of room," Gwen muttered, looking around. Her eyes were narrowed as she tried to remember the correct term. "Bathroom? Yah that sounds right."

"That's correct. When did those men start coming after you?"

"When I was five. James was seven at the time. I don't remember when my birthday is though. We never celebrated it after that. Some I'm either 18 or 19."

"James is your older brother?"

"Yah. He left about a month ago though and never came back. I think he's dead. Mirror." Weiss jumped a little and looked at what Gwen was pointing too. It was the mirror on the medicine cabinet. "Sink, toilet, um...tub!" She looked pleased she had remembered the terms.

"That's all correct. Do you mind if I cut your hair? It'll be easier to wash that way." Gwen ran her fingers through the matted gray locks, flinching slightly. She nodded once and waited for instructions. "Sit down. I can't reach your head when you stand."

"Ah right sorry," the Faunus mumbled, pulling something out of her pocket before setting it down on the sink counter. Weiss blinked and stared at the scroll.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, opening the medicine cabinet and taking out the scissors they kept. Blake didn't like using a hair stylist because that would require taking off her bow in public.

"James gave it to me one day when we were younger. He said I needed to write everything down in it. Kinda like a diary." Weiss narrowed her eyes. She would have liked to meet this James and ask why he had that. "You can read it if you'd like. I don't really remember every day individually anymore. They all just started to blur of running for my life after a while."

"You're being awfully calm about this whole thing Gwen," Weiss stated as she took off the first clump. It was just below her messy bun pile thing that Weiss wasn't sure how was held in place. The Faunus shrugged.

"I don't know where I am and I'm not tied up. Honestly that's a good situation in my dealings with people. And I like learning things. Yang told me she can teach me how to fight without my weapon and my aura!" Weiss shook her head and cut off the next clump of hair. Gwen was acting like an excited child right now but not in the way Ruby had when she presented the front.

"It will certainly help you," the fencer stated, thinking that knowing unarmed combat defiantly fit with being a mercenary. Speaking of which she needed to tell Gwen about the cover story.

She did so whilst cutting the rest of Gwen's hair. The Faunus had remained perfectly still, contemplating the story. Her only move was pull out a few pins that kept her bun in place. The result was another wave of hair that was just as long, if not longer than the last bunch. Weiss stared in shock then shook her head. They just needed to get it short enough to clean easier. After that they could get a professional to style it somewhat.

"That actually works. And I could even use that when dealing with the others in this place. It needs some more work though, to stand up to questioning," Gwen mumbled, rubbing her chin. Weiss sighed and nodded. "But I think I could pull it off. I'm pretty sure those men were mercenaries of some sort. I was able to spy on them a few times when they returned to their home base area. If I just copy they way they acted it could look real enough."

"Are you sure you spent 14 years running for your life?" Weiss asked, cutting the last clump of hair. Gwen nodded and stood, reaching for her sword. "Ah ah no. First you need to take a shower." The Faunus' nose wrinkled again.

"I remember Mama saying that a lot. Is that like the adult version of a bath?"

"That's one way of putting it. So do you know what shampoo is and soap?" Gwen thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright then. Come here. You're going to have to be able to do this for yourself at some point." Weiss showed the much taller woman how to operate the tub faucet and how to change it over to the shower head. Then she left the woman to clean up.

"She remembers some of her life before the men arrived," the fencer stated, walking out to her team. "It makes getting her adjust somewhat easier."

"That's good," Ruby said, closing her scroll from what she was doing. Yang had cleared the other plate of food and was drinking some water. "Did you tell her about the cover story?"

"Yes. She said she can attempt to pull it off. Hopefully her acting is believable."

"We'll only know when we take her out to Vale. I contacted Ozpin. He's coming down to meet Gwen and bringing a school uniform for now until we can get her some actual clothes. He also mentioned the paperwork Weiss." The whitette blinked in shock.

"I had nearly forgotten about that," she mused, shaking her head. Ruby chuckled and stood, stretching out her muscles. Yang rose an eyebrow as Weiss looked away. A furious glare was sent her way that was totally ruined by the light blush. Blake smirked. Maybe she had been on to something in her half-asleep state.

A knock at the door prevented any sort of teasing to start up. Ruby went to answer, revealing both Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin. The blonde woman looked a little annoyed to be up so early. Although that could have been the fact she was carrying a box of clothes.

"I didn't think you'd get here so fast Professor," Ruby chuckled, opening the door to the let the two in. Ozpin shared the chuckle as Weiss took the box from Goodwitch. "Would you like some coffee while you wait?"

"That would be much appreciated Miss Rose," the headmaster said, sitting down on one of the couches. Yang waved from where she was stationed in the kitchen area. Weiss would have the blonde's head if she sat on one of the couches covered in sweat. The former heiress was digging through the box, looking for the tallest uniform possible.

"Have you sent anyone out to the area?" Blake asked, bringing over the coffee. Ozpin accepted the mug with a small nod of thanks.

"We have. Mind you this is on the pretense of a Grimm clearing out so the council doesn't get too suspicious. It also means the time the team has is limited."

"Hopefully something is turned up then."

"Oh good this might fit her," Weiss grumbled, pulling out the tallest set of the men's uniform she could find. They needed to hide all of Gwen's scars and most of her tattoos. The ones on her face wouldn't be so easily hidden. And she also doubted that the Faunus would wear a skirt.

"What can you tell me about Miss Gwen so far?" Ozpin asked as Weiss retreated back to the bathroom. Yang spoke up, passing along the information she had gotten earlier that morning. Blake rubbed her temples upon learning that the other Faunus was a wolf type. Generally canine and feline Faunus didn't get along but Gwen was only a half-Faunus so that had to be taken into consideration.

Weiss returned, followed now by Gwen. The wolf Faunus jumped a little at seeing the two new people but didn't run and hide like expected. She gulped and cringed. The man looked nice enough with his smile but the woman was scowling harshly.

"Did your hair always have red tips?" Yang asked, narrowing her eyes. Gwen sheepishly shook her head, running her fingers through her hair again. It was now white with blood red tips, her wolf ears being the same way. The white button down didn't do much to hide her tattoos as her arms were thick with muscles. But she was toned all the way around, an even balance. Yang had made sure to work everything at the gym.

"Do you know who I am?" Ozpin asked. Gwen gulped again and turned her attention to the man. He smiled encouragingly.

"No sir," she answered, folding her hands behind her back. Weiss felt her eyes widen slightly at the display. It was like she was copying someone from the military. Was that how those men had acted at their home base? "Other than myself and Team RWBY I know no one in this room."

"I expected as much. I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of this school. This is Professor Goodwitch, one of the instructors here. This is Beacon Academy, a school dedicated to training future Huntsmen and Huntresses. Do you know what those are?"

"Men and women meant to keep peace and defend the four kingdoms."

"That's the main job description yes. There is so much more but that is a good enough answer for now. Do you also know that I cannot simply pass you off a long lost Huntress whose entire team was killed?"

"Yes sir. We've already discussed a cover story for my situation." Gwen's nails were biting into her arm, drawing blood. Her aura was activating, keeping the red liquid from falling, but it was still alarming to see how fast the wounds were healing.

"Very well then. We will have to discuss more in the future but for now we'll leave it alone. Onto other matters. Miss Belladona if you could please sign on the lines." Weiss smiled and walked forward, taking the pen and the stack of papers. Gwen slumped with relief but quickly straightened when Goodwitch's attention focused on her.

"Do you know what your semblance is?" the blonde asked. Gwen frowned and slowly shook her head. "Do you know what aura is?"

"Yes ma'am. But whenever I use it in a fight I generally don't remember the fight. And in life or death situations it acts without my control," Gwen answered quietly. She was still very afraid but the calmness of Team RWBY assured her these people were here to help her as well.

"Very well then. I teach an aura control class on Mondays at three in my room. Do any of you have that period free?" The stare sent around the room was bordering a glare.

"I do," Blake stated, turning attention to her. She shot a reassuring smile to Gwen that was hesitantly returned. "Would you like her to bring anything Professor?"

"Just herself will be all," the blonde answered, nodding in agreement. Gwen slumped again and sat down cross legged on the floor. Her ears kept twitching nervously.

"Finally!" Weiss huffed, leaning back from the paperwork. This prompted a small rise of chuckles from the gathered adults. Ozpin took back the stack and passed his now empty mug back to Ruby. "Is there any larger uniforms Professor?" The white cloth was stretched tightly over Gwen's shoulders, nearly to the breaking point.

"Of course. You'll have to swing by the supply depot to get them though. And I give you four permission to go into Vale as well today. Good luck." And with that the teachers left. Attention turned back to Gwen.

"C'mon. Me and Ruby will take you to the depot and we'll meet with Blake and Yang at the airship station. Agreed?" Blake nodded as Yang retreated to take a shower herself. Gwen jumped to her feet and Ruby bounced on her heels. Weiss groaned softly. "Great now I have two excited puppies to watch after."

"Hey!" But the smile on the whitette lip's said she was only joking. Ruby gave a fake pout while Gwen tilted her head.

"Woof," the taller whitette said before scampering out the door. Weiss felt her mouth drop open in shock.

"Did you just bark at me?!"

**A/N Just a few things to explain in the revision. ******Blake not being a morning person? Well cats are mostly nocturnal ********(except for my cat who insists on stealing my footspace while I'm trying to sleep if not my pillow -_-)******** so it makes sense she would stay up late. Plus I like the idea of a 'don't give a shit give me coffee' Blake. There's certainly enough modern AU's out there with Blake at a coffee shop. Granted she's drinking tea there but meh this is my story. My details. Deal with it.****

****And for Gwen's complete utter turn about. Before she had been picking up on the tension and general displeasure of Team RWBY. Thus she reacted in the only way she knew how and that was getting the fuck outta dodge as best she could. Now that everything has settled down so as she. So that's a thing.****

**Anyway I hope I'm making all the romance stuff seem real enough. I had trouble writing it a while back but now that I'm dating my absolutely adorable cutie girlfriend it comes easier. Real life experience does wonders for writing. Ciao folks!**


	5. Clothing Adventures - Revised

"Hey Yatsuhashi!" The massive man dipped his head toward Yang, stepping to the side to allow the group through the doors. Gwen blinked once, twice, then got over her shock. She had been the tallest person in her snowy little world before, even taller than her brother, so seeing someone that matched her height was a bit of a shock. The massive blade on his back looked right at home, along with the light green armor he wore.

"So he's a door guard?" the wolf muttered softly under her breath. Only Blake was able to hear her, on account of her cat ears. It was a nice benefit for the taller Faunus as she had many questions about the city but couldn't ask them outright given her cover story.

"Yes. Team CFVY graduated before us and Coco, the leader, decided to open up a clothing store. It caters to the Hunters community and has an absolute no Faunus haters allowed rule," the blackette explained in just as low as a voice. Gwen nodded to herself and followed the team through the door. She glanced back, seeing Yatsuhashi step back in front of the door, arms folded neatly over his chest. He looked like he could stand there for days. "Velvet helps Coco run the store while Fox does the maintenance and general upkeep of the place."

"Do they still take missions?"

"Yes. They all agreed to putting some of the money they earn into the store though."

"Well now! I didn't expect to see you four so soon again," Coco laughed as she walked up. Her eyes wandered up Gwen's frame, taking her in and the military way the woman stood. "Did Ruby sneeze around Weiss' Dust again?"

"That was one time!" the scythe wielder groaned, looking away with embarrassment. Weiss felt her eye twitch at the reminder of that day. If she had been told then that she would become close friends with the dolt she would have sent them to get their head checked out.

"We're here to find Gwen some clothes," Blake stated, gently nudging the wolf Faunus forward. Coco hummed in her throat.

"Let's see. You're a mercenary of sorts. I've never seen you in the community," the fashionista stated, eyeing the tattoos on Gwen's face.

"Correct," the wolf stated calmly, dipping her head. "My team was killed in the last job however. We lack the unity of Hunters and that was ultimately our downfall. It took me five years to be able to send a signal out however. Watching a full team of Huntresses in battle highlighted what mine had been lacking." Weiss felt a small amount of pride at Gwen's flawless performance. She could make a good actor.

"You didn't keep anyone behind?"

"No. The job led us into a very dangerous area and if we had left people behind there would have been no survivors. I will not tell you more than that. Even though I am the last I will not break our rules." Coco frowned, not liking the denial one bit, but respecting it. Mercenary groups were hard to come by in a world full of Hunters but not unheard of.

"Alright then. Let's get you something other than the school uniform. I'd recognize those threads anywhere," the woman stated, dropping the subject. "Velvet!"

"Coming!" The reply was faint and from the back of the store. Blake smiled slightly and nodded her thanks to Coco. Gwen would likely feel a little more at ease with being shown around by another Faunus.

"And you Weiss," the fashionista said suddenly, turning her attention to the former heiress. "Any reason you're wearing the single outfit you own that doesn't bear your family's symbol?" Weiss twitched at the mention of her family but a small hand squeeze from Ruby kept the woman from exploding. Coco's eyes lit up and she smirked. "Oh? Did you two finally stop lying to yourselves and admit your feelings for each other?"

"We are not dating!"

"Damnit that's the second time today." Yang choked and doubled over with laughter as the two jumped apart, blushing heavily. Blake smirked as Velvet walked into the area, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Sure you two. Keep telling yourselves that. Velvet can you help our tall Faunus friend pick something out? She's a mercenary so maybe show her the under armor design?"

"Of course. Follow me." Gwen's ears perked up at the rabbit Faunus' soft accent but she said nothing. Blake chuckled and followed the two, Yang bringing up the rear. The blonde nudged her partner, ignoring the way her heart skipped a beat at the contact.

"What did Ruby mean when she said that was the second time today?" she asked, eyes still alight with laughter. Blake's smirk got a little bigger.

"I don't know what I walked in upon this morning but in my half awake state I said those two would make a cute couple," she explained. Yang's eyes narrowed slightly. The blackette frowned and worked on stopping big sister Yang from taking full effect. "I'm pretty sure they weren't actually doing something Yang. Ruby looked like she was in pain a little."

"Oh. Alright. Still they would make a cute couple. In fact I'm okay with it, now that I think about it. Just if Weiss hurts Ruby I'll have her head." The threat was said confidently and without hesitation. Blake paled a little but said nothing. She focused her attention to where Velvet had stopped and pointed out the clothing Coco had mentioned.

"We've been working on a new design that allows the wearer to hide armor underneath their clothing," she explained, showing the underside to one of the shirts. There was a thick material stitched into it, forming a basic armor. "It's been tested against bullets and the most basic of blades. If you're going to be fighting Grimm you need actual armor to stand up against their claws and teeth. Here." She held the shirt to Gwen to inspect.

Gwen made a show of inspecting the cloth, muttering softly to herself. One of her ears was trained backward, listening to Coco laugh and tease the other pair of Team RWBY. Her other kept twitching and flicking, picking up the various sounds and noises of the store and the other people shopping. It was only when she shot a quick glance at Yang did it finally become apparent that the wolf didn't know what to do from here.

"How 'bout you try some of it on to see if it feels okay?" the blonde asked, jumping to the nervous woman's rescue. Gwen nodded once, hiding her misunderstanding of the situation. Velvet smiled and pulled out a few different sizes and led the way to the changing rooms.

"We also offer pants with the same under armor design if you'd like to try that on as well," she explained. Gwen hummed and nodded again, thinking that it was okay to do that. "Alright then. Here try these on and I'll be right back with those pants."

"That was terrifying," Gwen whimpered, slumping with relief once the rabbit Faunus was out of earshot. Yang smiled sadly and patted the woman's arm. "But I did okay right? I mean I hope so."

"It's fine Gwen," Blake said calmly, gently pushing her into the changing room. "Try on the shirts before Velvet gets back okay? We'll be out here waiting." Gwen took a deep shaky breath and nodded before closing the door and fumbling with the lock. She got it in a few seconds, cursing under her breath.

The cloth was smooth against her scars. Gwen smiled slightly in content, feeling the most secure she had in ages. The shirt wasn't even a tight fit and the armor was bulky enough to hide her muscles. She knew that they weren't normal for a woman from her situation but brushed it off. It just wasn't a thing she questioned. Those muscles allowed her to power through large snow drifts and jump into trees with ease.

"How does the shirt fit Gwen?" Velvet's voice drifted from behind the door. There was kind, helping tone to her voice that the wolf had missed before. She breathed out and smiled. So far Team RWBY hadn't introduced her to anyone wanting to kill her. Maybe she could truly trust them.

"It fits perfect," she called, unable to keep the note of delight from her voice. She heard the small chuckles from the two outside that knew she wasn't used to this stuff. "Do you have any in black though?" The current shirt was a deep navy blue. If she could have some in black then it would be less noticeable when her aura slipped from her control.

"Yup! Here try these one while I go get those shirts. What size do you need?" Gwen paled a little. She didn't know what the size was.

"Do you really need to ask Vel? She's as tall as Yatsuhashi!" Yang's laugh was somewhat forced but still believable. The rabbit Faunus chuckled and shook her head, going back into the store. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the jeans down from the door.

The armor was the same, protecting the entire leg. Gwen was amused by that. Usually armor wasn't so flexible but this was a good thing. She was pretty sure the many bullets to her joints was meant to slow her down but it never did thanks to aura and her sheer desperation. The wounds certainly did hurt but her desire to live had always won out.

A few different outfits later and Gwen had found some clothes that would work for her cover and her desire to feel protected. She had settled for the jeans and shirt with the armor built in, along with a dark blue jacket that had red along the seams and a simple pair of black sneakers. Her sword was now tucked into a proper belt, rather than just through the belt loop of her pants. Weiss too had more clothes, still matching her color scheme choices but lacking the snowflakes.

"Alright let's get some ice cream to celebrate our success!" Ruby cheered as they exited the store. There was a various amounts of agreement, even with Weiss. Then Gwen asked the question they were all secretly dreading.

"What's ice cream?"

"Oh my gosh we are showing you that now!" Ruby grabbed the woman's arm and dragged her to another store, the rest of the team following. Thankfully no one else had heard the question. Gwen staggered to get her balance and pulled her arm back. Ducking her head she wondered why her human ears felt like they were warming up.

A wave a smells assaulted her. Gwen coughed once and rubbed her nose, eyes watering. Blake gave her a look of understanding. All of this was very new to the wolf Faunus and surprising. But it wasn't the deathly surprises she was used to. Theses were...pleasant? Yah that seemed like the right term.

"So this is a build-your-own-sundae place," the cat Faunus explained in a low voice, holding out one of the paper bowls for the taller Faunus to take. "The pricing is by how much your bowl weighs at the end. Just try something out that catches your eyes or your nose." Gwen nodded and cautiously walked over to the machines on the wall. She waited a little bit, observing how to operate the devices nervously.

One scent was cutting through the rest. It was sharp with a chill that reminded her of the snowy world she had lived in before. She walked over to it, narrowing her eyes to read it. 'Mint Chocolate Chip' the machine declared. Sighing Gwen decided to try this flavor of ice cream. Of course she might even be allergic to this.

__No this doesn't look at all like anything James would bring back from when he got supplies. __Nodding to herself Gwen stopped the machine and turned to the area declared as 'Topping Central'. The smells from there were very muted and hard to pick out from the onslaught of those from the ice cream. She read the names, sounding out the unfamiliar words silently. Some she recalled from some of the foods James had brought back. __That one smells like the ice cream I picked out. I'll go with that. __Gwen took the scoop cautiously and dumped some of what was declared as 'Peppermint Patties' into her bowl.

"You're pretty daring for your first time eating ice cream," Yang mused walking up. Gwen frowned and looked her ice cream bowl. "Some people don't like the combination of mint and chocolate."

"It smells fine," the wolf answered quietly, looking away with her ears burning up again. The blonde chuckled to herself, thinking that the taller woman was cute when she blushed, even if it was by the ears and not her cheeks. Then again most people instantly became cute when they blushed so she brushed it off. "And it's probably the strongest one in here. What's yours even?"

"Banana Split. They're pretty good. You'll have to try it sometime. C'mon. Let's get these paid for so we can eat them." The brawler lead the wolf over to the counter and paid for the both the bowls. Then they joined the other three at a table where Ruby was already complaining of a brain freeze. "You're not supposed to scarf it down sis!" The young leader only moaned in response.

Gwen cautiously bite into the spoonful of ice cream. Weiss watched from the corner of her eye as the taller whitette lit up, ears perking forward at the sharp taste. She smiled slightly, feeling a little less guilty about the part her blood family had in denying her cousin a normal life.

Yang had told them about James, the wolf Faunus' older brother, and his wings. Blake had confirmed that gray hair, gray eye, and gray wings were all traits of the Kelling family. Weiss had felt a crashing amount of guilt when told she looked like Gwen's father only shorter and female. White hair and blue eyes were only traits of the Schnee family. So there was no denying that William Schnee was Gwen's father and that Weiss was her cousin. Blake had said that while it was rare for a half-Faunus to show any type of Faunus traits the Kelling family blood was very potent and that was likely the reason why both siblings had those traits.

They hadn't told Gwen any of this however. They weren't sure how she would respond. But on the flip side they would have to tell her soon. There wasn't any way they could keep the details from her forever. And it was likely the longer they waited the more hurt she would be when they finally did. She already expected to be shot in the back by most people. They didn't want to show her that all relationships ended badly.

**A/N Whelp the only thing of value from the original was that Hunters is the generic term I'm using when talking about both Huntsmen and Huntresses. Other than that you can ignore the rest if you remember the old AN. It no longer applies. None of it.**


	6. Books and a Bully - Revised

Weiss glared up at the blonde brawler. Yang was frowning, confusion etched clear on her face. The hard poke to her shoulder did nothing to throw her balance off. The fencer's annoyed expression was what was bothering her.

"Yang Xiao Long you will not form a big sister relationship with Gwen," the whitette hissed under her breath. From the common room the sounds of playful yaps and barks reached their ears. The group had returned to the dorm to find Zwei back for another visit and Gwen was happily indulging in her canine like manner.

"And why the hell shouldn't I?" Yang growled back. Weiss frowned, then remembered that the two half-sisters weren't there when the connection was explained.

"William Schnee, Gwen's father, is my uncle by blood. He was disowned because he asked for Gwen's mother's hand in marriage. Excuse me if I want to help my cousin adjust to this life because my own immediate family is the cause of her situation to begin with!"

"Alright so that still doesn't explain why you're making me step back from the big sister role!"

"I'm doing it so that you also learn what it's like to be in a relationship where the two are equal!" Yang flinched and looked away. Weiss sighed and dropped her glare. "Yang it doesn't have to be anything okay? Just please, don't immediately jump to being the over protective one. Not just for your sake but for Gwen's. She's spent her entire life running to live. She doesn't need to be suffocated with protection. It'll probably scare her off."

"You can be caring when you want to be," the blonde muttered, rubbing her palms into her eyes. She looked sad and defeated, a look that didn't seem home to the brawler if you barely knew her. But Weiss knew more than the rest of the team now and knew that look wasn't actually so uncommon. "Alright I'll try. I'm still taking her to the gym with me. I told her I'd teach her to fight without aura and without weapons."

"Fair enough. Now let's get back and save Blake from the terror of three puppies," the fencer stated with an eye roll. Yang chuckled and followed, ignoring the twinge on her heartstrings.

The cat Faunus sent the pair a thankful expression when they walked into the room. She was curled up on the couch in an almost painfully tight way, unbound ears flicking nervously. Gwen was crouched on the floor, mock fighting with Zwei while Ruby laughed at the pair. The little dog was trying his best to knock over the wolf, mostly nuzzling his nose into her stomach causing her to giggle. Weiss allowed the smile to play onto her lips. She wasn't bound by being an heiress anymore. It was okay to show emotions now.

"Not joining them sis?" Yang asked, vaulting over the couch and flopping down. The motion caused both Ruby and Blake to bounce a little. Blake glared at the blonde and curled into her ball again.

"Nah," the black and red haired woman laughed as Weiss slipped into one of the chairs the room held. "This is kind of amusing to watch." As she said that Gwen rolled over with a mock bark of despair and Zwei jumped excitedly on her stomach. Another giggle came from the wolf Faunus and she rolled over again, playfully batting at the dog's muzzle.

"It's certainly not something we see every day. You doing okay there Blake?"

"I'll be fine," the blackette grumbled, glaring at the pair on the floor. Her words quickly became unbelievable as Zwei ran over and tried jumping up to lick her. The young woman bolted out of her seat and glared at the dog.

"Zwei you silly puppy," Gwen laughed, scratching the dog in between his ears. "Blake isn't comfortable with you. Leave her be." Yapping happily the corgi left the cat Faunus and assaulted Weiss for cuddles. Blake shot Gwen a thankful glance.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked, leaning back in her seat. Gwen tilted her head curiously but said nothing.

"Well in order for Gwen's cover to be more believable she needs to know some of the basics of politics and history," Blake stated. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to the other Faunus. "Can you read?"

"And write with a scroll," the tall woman answered with a nod. She held out the scroll in question. "I've had it for years. Like I told Weiss you can read through it. I don't remember individual days very clearly anymore."

"We can transfer the data to our own scrolls. You can keep that with you."

"Really?! That's cool!" The team chuckled slightly at their friend's enthusiastic response. Gwen jumped up and started pacing. "So so how do I learn about the history and politics of now?"

"We'll go to the library and get some books. I'll take you now." Blake stood, eyeing Zwei with a little bit of caution. The dog was content with the shower of belly rubs and petting from Ruby and Weiss. "You want to tag along Yang?"

"Nah I'll stay here," the brawler said, stretching out and pulling out her scroll. The book lover nodded and motioned for Gwen to follow her. The wolf did so, calming down some so as not to draw attention to herself.

"Are Ruby and Weiss together?" she asked once they were outside of the dorm building. Blake frowned slightly.

"Yes and no. Ruby's been hurt and Weiss is helping her through it."

"What about Yang?"

"Yang's done all she can. It's because of her Ruby is the way she is now. She could be much worse."

"Like how she was when we first met?"

"Yah. Just for right now don't ask about how Ruby was hurt okay? It's a sensitive topic." Gwen dipped her head in understanding. She knew what secrets were. Her brother had a lot of them. "Alright here we are."

Ears perked Gwen walked into the library. It smelled nothing like anything she ever knew. But the scent wasn't overwhelming or chaotic like the ice cream parlor had been. This scent was soothing and welcoming. Blake smiled at the other Faunus' delight to the library.

"Wow," Gwen muttered in awe, looking at the rows upon rows of shelving units. She let the blackette lead the way to one of the areas that was deeper back into the library. "Blake Blake what are they?" A quick glance at the taller Faunus showed that her eyes were brimming with excitement and eagerness, like that of a little kid. Blake chuckled, making a mental note that the woman seemed to say a name or the first word of her sentence twice when excited.

"They're called books," the cat Faunus answered, turning down one of the aisles. "Most are printed but a very select few are hand written. Here we go." She stopped and crouched to pull out one of the basic history books that the library had to offer. It would give an overview of all the major events that had happened throughout the years. Gwen cautiously opened the cover, nose twitching at the rising dust.

"This is pretty thick. There's a lot I need to learn huh?"

"You don't have to be an expert on all the events. Just read through this one and then we'll get you some other books that focus more in-depth on the events that catch your interest okay?" The wolf nodded, bouncing eagerly on her feet. Blake couldn't help another chuckle slipping through her lips as she led the way to the government section. She tugged out another basic overview book of the subject and handed it off to the eager woman beside her.

"Any subjects you'd like to know more about while we're here?" she asked, indicating to the vast library. Gwen tilted her head, narrowing her eyes in thought.

"Grimm," she stated calmly, nodding decisively. "I'd like to see how my knowledge of the creatures compare to that of yours." Blake smiled, thinking that given a few months and the right guidance the woman could actually pull off being a mercenary. "And something about the relationship between humans and Faunus. Yang mentioned this morning that some people aren't nearly as accepting as you four have been."

"That's very thoughtful of you Gwen," the blackette answered, surprise in her voice. Gwen let out a small squeak and looked away, scuffing the ground with her foot. It was only then that Blake realized that the wolf hadn't made a single noise while they had been walking, not even outside. "Come on. I'll get those books for you then we'll use one of the computers to transfer the data from your scroll to mine and I'll send it to the rest of the team."

"Okay! What's a computer?" Unable to keep her amusement at Gwen's enthusiasm down Blake explained what the device was and it's vast abilities. The woman's eyes were wide as saucers upon hearing just how much a computer could do. It reminded Blake a little of Ruby's childish front to hide her pain.

After grabbing a few other books and transferring over the data the two left the library chatting easily. Blake kept the conversation within the realm of Gwen's knowledge, but also to test if she knew various other things. From the sounds of it they would have to teach her math, writing without a scroll, money transactions, and some of the good and bad things the world had to offer. Granted there wasn't many bad things she didn't already know but Gwen was still learning.

"Watch where you're going scum." Cardin had snuck up on them without Blake realizing it. The blackette held in a groan as the man slammed his shoulder hard into Gwen's arm, trying to make her fall over. But what ended up happening was Cardin falling right to his ass.

"I do believe you were on the other side of the hallway just a moment ago," the wolf said, taking up the calm mask of her mercenary front. Blake raised an eyebrow but said nothing. This could be interesting to watch. "Are you drunk?"

"What?!"

"I asked a simple question. Although it appears to have been answered given the distinct lack of smell of alcohol. So then do you perhaps have problems with your balance?" Blake wanted to tell Gwen that the man fuming on the floor was a Faunus hater. But she also wanted to see what kind of hell the taller Faunus would dish out.

"Who do you think you are you animal?!" Realization dawned upon the wolf.

"Ah it appears you are a hater. Amusing I suppose that you should think yourself better than me. Stand up Mr…" She trailed off, hoping to get a name. Cardin spat at her to which the woman calmly dodged. "How mature. And I was under the impression Beacon only accepted adults. Miss Belladona do you know who this...man is?"

"Cardin Winchester," the blackette answered, smirking slightly. This was a fine act Gwen was putting on and a verbal beatdown of Cardin.

"Thank you Miss Belladona. Now if you would stand up Mr. Winchester. Or are you knees quaking too much in fear?"

"What?!" Cardin roared with anger, springing to his feet. He started reaching for his weapon but Gwen's words stopped him cold.

"I would not attempt that Mr. Winchester," she stated in a deadly calm voice. Her voice was a bit deeper and bit darker than before. A bit more of a growl to it. Blake gulped nervously as did Cardin. "Do not be so foolish as to attack. Not while you reek of fear and your knees clack together. You are not strong Mr. Winchester. You are weak. Go. Strength yourself. Do not challenge me again until you can hold my eyes without looking away in the first 30 seconds." The two stared at each other, Gwen's unnatural height giving her a more intimidating appearance. Of course the burning, glowing red of her right eye helped as well. Cardin looked away with a scowl on his face after ten seconds.

The two women finished the trek to dorm room in silence. Blake wasn't sure what Gwen had done, pissing off and challenging Cardin like that. But given that she had spent her entire life running from men who wanted her dead a little bully would be like brushing off a piece of dust from her clothing. Gwen had opened one of the books and was reading it, using her wolf ears to skillfully dodge anyone else who might be in the halls. It was an amusing sight and reminded Blake a little of Neptune.

__I haven't called Sun since Friday. I'll do that in a bit. __Blake swiped her scroll over the door, catching Gwen's attention. She grinned sheepishly and closed the book, human ears turning red. The shorter Faunus just shook her head.

"Find everything okay?" Weiss asked, looking up from where Ruby and Zwei had fallen asleep against her. The former heiress looked a little put out, like she couldn't figure out who to pet more. Yang was snoring lightly on the couch, her scroll by her head.

"Yup! Blake found all of the books though," Gwen answered, perking up slightly, eager to drop her calm and collected mercenary act. Weiss smiled and absently ran her fingers through Ruby's hair. The scythe wielder hummed in content and turned into the touch. "And then she showed me computers and how to transfer data from scroll to scroll!"

"That's good. Do you think you could do that again on your own?"

"Ah no." Gwen looked away with a blush and scuffed the ground again. She set her books down on the table and flopped down on the floor, leaning against the couch. "I'm going to read some more now. This politics stuff is amusing." The wolf tugged the book she had reading before into her lap and picked up where she left off. Weiss chuckled and turned her attention back to her scroll, where she had been reading Gwen's diary entries.

It was hard for the former heiress to not constantly send a guilty look over in her cousin's direction. This was only the start of the entries and already there was talk of the men and their wish to have the young woman dead. Weiss shook her head and refocused on her scroll, still running her fingers through Ruby's hair occasionally. Gwen looked up once and smiled at the pair. If Ruby healed from her pain then they would be a beautiful couple. They were already so at ease with each other and whatever pain Ruby was in wasn't present when Weiss was tending to her.

**A/N Oh hey look there was something of relevance in the original AN. ******I realize in the world of RWBY constantly referring to a Faunus strictly by the animal they take their traits after is probably considered racist. In Gwen's case I do this to denote that she is highly attuned to her animalistic traits and even uses them to her advantage. Blake and Velvet on the other hand are both in the position of 'hey we're not animals stop treating us as such' which is why I constantly put the term 'Faunus' after naming their animal.****

**And we made it to the chapter where it was pointed out I needed to make some grammatical fixes and stuff. Awesome XD **


	7. Knighthood

Gwen found trying to calm her mind a lot more difficult than expected. The utter stillness that had filled the room put her on edge. It was like the times the few animals had sensed the killing intent in the air before the men had arrived. She shivered and tried calming down, like Goodwitch had said.

It wasn't nearly as easy as the others in the room made it out to be.

"Miss Knight does there seem to be a problem?" the blonde professor asked, looking at her scroll. Gwen twitched and opened her eyes slowly. This is why she always relied on her sword for a fight. She could control those movements.

"It's too quiet," the wolf answered in a low mutter, trying to spare the others of breaking their concentration. Goodwitch raised an eyebrow. Usually the complaint would be about noise itself not the lack of it. "I feel like something is about to attack me."

"I can assure you Miss Knight that nothing is going to attack you here. And if someone did attempt something there would be ample warning. Now try again."

"Try to think of a three word phrase to repeat." Blake's voice carried from the spectator seats to Gwen's ears. She let one twitch back, listening to the other Faunus intently. Maybe there was a little more to her unease that just having it signal rapid approaching death bringers. "One the first word you inhale, the second you hold it, and the third you exhale. Focus on that. Focus on your breathing and that phrase." Gwen nodded to show she understood and tried drawing up a phrase that worked for her.

She finally settled on the same three words she used when putting out her mercenary front. Calm, collected, and powerful. Gwen nodded again and focused her breathing to match thinking those words. She had the feeling that they weren't meant to be rushed, to be flowing and with a controlled ease. So the wolf did that, finding the attempt to calm her mind much easier now.

Last night had proved eventful. Ozpin had come back, this time with a stack of paperwork for the wolf Faunus. She had to register in the school for her to be able to stay. Unable to write with a pen it had been up to Weiss to fill out the lines. Gwen didn't understand the guilty look the shorter whitette had sent her way.

The wolf was now registered as Gwen Knight, a mercenary turned Huntress due to the circumstances of her last mission. The group she had come from hadn't been named, due to their policies that Gwen mostly made up on the spot. If one needed the group's services they asked questions and seeked answers. The name wasn't put out there because it was mostly a Faunus group and they didn't want to be targeted.

It worked rather well and would hold things over with the council until they knew more about Gwen's family. The tattoos and the way she conducted herself was all with the front of being a mercenary but the wolf was quickly finding it to be in her comfort range. Team RWBY had found her in the snow so there was no hiding things from them. But the rest of the school? She was terrified they would try to shoot her in the back as well.

"Very good students. Now, if you would please call forth as much of a shield around your body as you can with your aura," Goodwitch stated, tapping at the scroll in her arms. Walls sprung up between each student, humming softly with energy. "The walls are there so that if one of you loses control the others will not be disturbed nor injured. Continue." Blake leaned forward, wondering just how Gwen's aura would take form.

The wolf had explained that her aura was often like decaying Grimm smoke. But instead of disappearing it solidified on her body, forming something akin to chainmail. After that she wouldn't remember what happened. It would be curious to know what was going to happen now.

The black smoke appeared, wrapping around the woman's body and starting with her limbs. Her fingers were quickly coated in black along with her legs and arms. As it crept further up her body white started to appear in the areas that actual knight armor would be. Blake sucked in a quick breath as red markings appeared on the bone armor. The markings matched exactly with Gwen's tattoos.

_She looks like a humanoid Grimm _Blake mused, watching as Gwen stood, full bone white armor on her body. But it appeared she was still in control. Her actions were exactly the same as when she put up her mercenary front. The only thing it was lacking was a helmet at the moment and her sword was still curved like a pirate's.

Goodwitch walked to the front of each student and examined them carefully. Many were struggling with upholding the shield of their aura. A few were using too much and also struggling. She let them go. That left Gwen and one of the more advanced students.

"I do believe I said form a shield Miss Knight," the blonde stated, examining the wolf. Gwen frowned slightly.

"Armor is merely another form of a shield ma'am," the whitette answered calmly. She didn't like using shields. They were big and bulky and usually hard to carry. Gwen kept quietly repeating her mantra in her head, realizing that it was because of that her aura wasn't running out of control.

"Very well. Let's see how well you can hold that up in a fight then. Mr. Arc if you would." The other student perked up and nodded eagerly.

Gwen remembered him from this morning. Jaune Arc was the leader of Team JNPR, one of the other junior teams. They and Team RWBY were good friends but somewhat of rivals at the same time. Frienemies was the term Ruby had used.

Jaune pulled his sword and settled into a basic stance. Blake nodded with approval. Pyrrha's teachings weren't for naught. Now it was time to see how they would stand up to someone he had never fought before. Gwen regarded the man calmly, the black smoke creeping over her face, starting from the right side. Surrounded by black Gwen's red eye really did look like a Grimm's.

"Are you going to pull your weapon Miss Knight?" Goodwitch asked, making the walls drop. Gwen flexed her fingers and formed loose fists, bringing them up in the stance Yang had taught her that morning. She now had a helmet and both eyes were glowing red slits.

"If I need to," the wolf answered. Blake shivered. Through the helmet Gwen's voice had taken the same dark tone she had threatened Cardin with yesterday. Only this time it was more controlled and there was no underlying growl.

"Very well then. Begin when you're ready." Blake pulled out her scroll and started recording. She wanted to show the rest of the team this no matter the outcome.

Jaune attacked first, bringing his sword up in a high attack. Gwen blocked, allowing the blade to deflect off her armor. There were no sparks of metal on metal. Just an irritating screech like nails on a chalkboard. All present flinched except for Gwen who used her impressive reach to aim a kick at Jaune's armored chest. It was only just enough to make him stagger back a few steps.

Blake frowned when Gwen didn't press the attack. In a real fight you didn't want to give the enemy a chance to regroup. Of course it could be that the wolf was trying to get a feel for her opponent. Or trying to drag the fight out as long as possible.

The blonde charged again, this time swiping at Gwen's midsection. Blake was expecting him to fake the attack though, as bone armor wrapped around the wolf's torso. So she wasn't surprised when the blade suddenly swung high. However the entire group drew in a collective breath when Gwen grabbed the weapon blade first, curling her fingers around it even though her armor only covered her palm and the back of her hand and fingers.

Blood leaked onto the blade, making her aura drop just a little. With her near metal breaking gripping on the blade Gwen tugged on it, making Jaune stagger into her. Her free hand gripped the edge of his chestplate and she lifted him over her head with ease before slamming the man down into the ground. Using the motion Gwen flipped over him and landed in a crouch, bloodied hand resting easily on the floor.

Jaune gasped, feeling his breath leave him when making contact with the floor. He cringed as Gwen flipped over him, expecting the woman to slam down onto his unprotected gut. When she didn't he sat up confused. Doing so allowed him to see that his aura had dropped low into the red. Too low actually. Goodwitch had called the match already. All with a single slam to the floor.

"That was impressive Miss Knight but also highly stupid. Even taking a minor cut like that could prove deadly," the blonde woman stated. Gwen frowned, letting her aura armor drop from her body. It stayed black around her injured fingers for a few seconds longer than the rest of her body though. "Go to the infirmary and get those fingers looked at."

"I don't need to ma'am," the wolf answered, holding up her hand. There were now a fresh set of scars where the cuts once were. Blake held in a gasp. Was the other Faunus' semblance healing?

"Interesting. Mr. Arc please hold still. You may have a concussion. Miss Knight please come over here." Confused the whitette did as asked, kneeling by Jaune's side. "Focus your aura into your hand." She did that, the black smoke springing to life with ease. "Now let it flow into Mr. Arc's. Let it do its work for any injuries that there may be."

Goodwitch frowned as Jaune's usually white aura darkened slightly and the man shivered. Gwen was silently repeating her mantra to herself, letting her aura act on its own. The darkness shifted, flowing toward the man's back and to a small spot on his head. A few seconds later and Jaune's aura was back into the green. Blake felt her mouth drop open in shock. She knew that auras had an enhanced healing ability but this was entirely different and she had never heard of a healing semblance.

"I think we've discovered what your semblance is Miss Knight. Tell me, what is the worst injury you ever sustained?"

"I took a bullet right here once," the woman answered calmly, tapping at a spot just near her heart. "By all rights I should have died. The superior vena cava was destroyed, along with a section of my right atrium." The words flowed from her tongue with ease even though Gwen had never heard of them before in her life.

"Are you sure of this?" Goodwitch asked a few seconds later. Gwen nodded, finding herself at ease with the knowledge. The words floating around her brain now were comforting and oddly familiar even if she didn't know where most of them came from. "Very well. Miss Belladona if you could take Miss Knight to the infirmary to have one of the doctors test her medical knowledge? The rest of you stay here for further training."

Blake shook herself out of her shock and stopped the recording. Then she sent it off to her teammates. Ruby would send it off to Professor Ozpin and they would go from there. Gwen stood, stopping her aura flow. A little bit of sweat had gathered at her forehead which she quickly wiped away. Then she quickly walked to the cat Faunus' side and they made their way silently from the room.

"James said it wasn't normal to have such an accelerated healing power," the wolf muttered quietly under her breath. Blake still heard it and the worry that was clearly in the taller woman's voice. "But all aura users have some sort of healing ability yes?"

"Yes. Just nothing like yours. It's very likely that healing itself is your semblance."

"How do we get semblances?"

"Some we're born with, like mine. Others are learned, like Jaune's, a shield in of itself. It's probably that reason why he wasn't more seriously injured today." Gwen flinched and looked away guiltily. "The last category is ones that are formed in intense situations. That's likely what yours is. Anyone can run fast and gain heightened instincts in the situation you were in. However the wounds you received usually would kill someone. Unless your semblance became that of healing."

"That might be the case then. I'm pretty sure my eye was damaged beyond repair at first. And it was light blue like my other one." She rubbed her right eye, the glow a little duller from exhaustion. Blake nodded and fell back into silence. There was staggering evidence that it was the case. The scars on Gwen's body were too numerous to have lived through and many were likely from Grimm claws.

"Have you read any of the other books?" the blackette asked, trying to change the subject. She was curious to know if Gwen had some inkling as to why her aura made her look like a Grimm.

"No. But I finished the politics one last night. It's interesting but I think I'm okay with knowing the basics. From what I've read politicians don't get out much. Being locked in a stuffy room all the time does not bode well with me."

"Alright then. What do you plan to read tonight?"

"The book on Grimm. Tomorrow is that Grimm fighting class with Yang and I'd like to know something other than my own knowledge. And I have to wonder if one can take the form of a Grimm." Gwen looked down at her hand, where some of her tattoos were visible.

"Some people have an illusion semblance." Like the elusive Neo. She was still at large and if ever seen she wasn't seen for long. Yang was more than a little mad at that and really wanted nothing more than to run out and chase the tri-colored woman down. But true to her words the blonde never let the desperate search control her. She was, inadvertently, reminding Blake of when the blackette had wanted to ditch school in favor of finding Torchwick.

"It was no illusion. When his blade bounced of my armor I felt it. I could feel the metal digging into my fingers. I felt my muscles flex against the chainmail."

"We'll worry about that later Gwen," Blake reassured, reaching up and grasping the woman's shoulder. She opened the door they had stopped at. "For now let's test your medical knowledge okay?" The wolf took a deep breath and nodded once, putting back on her mask of calmness.

"Gwen? Blake? What are you doing here?" Weiss paused on her way to the laundry hamper in the back of the room, arms full of sheets. Blake hide a smile. The former heiress had been helping out at the infirmary when ever she had a free period and Ruby didn't. Ruby would help out in the weapons shop when it was the opposite.

"Goodwitch thinks that Gwen's semblance maybe be healing and just plain medical knowledge in general," the cat Faunus answered. Gwen was too busy looking around with her dual colored eyes wide to answer. "She was able to heal Jaune instantly today in aura control class."

"Alright I'll get one of the doctors. They know more than I do." The fencer walked off, dumping her load into a hamper and turned to the office. She knocked on the door and waited politely as some scrambling came from within.

Gwen could feel a faint buzz in her mind as her gaze landed on the various equipment and instruments in the infirmary. The words kept flowing to her, filling her with an eager knowledge that called forth a vague memory of her papa promising to teach her how to do math. The excitement was the same then as it was now only this time it was soothing and comforting as well.

"I've been told you're some miracle healer," the doctor grumbled, stalking up to the wolf. He was about an inch shorter than her and leaned heavily on a cane. "So let's get to it." He launched into some complex medical situation that Gwen answered with ease, trying to appear calm even though she was practically giddy with excitement.

"Is the video you sent me of the aura control class?" Weiss asked, motioning for Blake to follow her. Casting a glance at Gwen and deciding she was okay on her own for a while the blackette did as asked.

"Yes. Gwen's aura takes the form of armor around her body when she's focused. Only it makes her look like a humanoid Grimm." The two sisters started stripping the next bed. Weiss frowned with concern.

"And let me guess. The tattoos on her body match the red marks that appear on Grimm bone armor?"

"Yes. And it's very likely her armor is made from bone. I've never heard of an aura forming into something human-made." All the types of metal used in weapons and armor were a mix of different minerals and on occasion Dust, designed to be able to withstand Grimm. As aura was something that occurred naturally metal was not an option to be formed.

"I'll have to watch that video. Did her sword change form at all?"

"No. That stayed the same. She never pulled it though. Yang will be proud to know that a single gym session teaching Gwen to fight without weapons held up to what Pyrrha has done with Jaune's skills."

"Oh I must definitely watch this video now," Weiss muttered softly, almost crossly. It was more of shock than anything. Blake nodded in agreement. There was something going on with the taller whitette that they just didn't know. Something they didn't see coming.

**A/N And we're getting a little more into the plot now! I feel accomplished. So yup that's a thing! I purposely left out the part of Gwen's conversation with the doctor because I literally know nothing about medical jargon. I only know about the heart cuz I Googled a pic of the human heart diagram and went from there. So if I'm horribly off please don't kill me! **

**Any way I'm thinking in the next chapter I'm going to skip anywhere to a few days to a few weeks. Not too sure yet if I wanna have Gwen start developing her crush on Yang first or if Mr. Schnee learns and reacts to Weiss declaring herself independent first. Who knows I may combine them into one chapter. That would be interesting. Ciao!**


	8. Warm Fuzzy Crush - Revised

****A few days later…****

__Why is Yang so careful with her hair? __Gwen shook her head, trying to dispel the thought. She had been doing this all day whenever she had a free moment. Her thoughts would drift around and finally land on the blonde brawler. It wasn't really bad per say she just didn't understand why it was happening.

Gwen tried refocusing her attention on the blabbering professor below. Port was supposed to teach about the Grimm. She felt it was more of his life history. The wolf had already been called out for reading the assigned material in class the first time she sat through this. So she wasn't taking a second chance.

Her thoughts drifted again as her dual-colored gaze landed on Yang. The blonde looked ready to fall asleep, head dipping and jerking back up on occasions. Gwen bite her lip and looked away, feeling her human ears warm. Lately that had been happening a lot. She would only glance at the brawler and feel some warm fuzzy thing settle into her chest. The warm fuzzy made her give Yang a half grin, one that showed off her blood red fangs. It was something only she got.

Her fingers skimmed over the notebook in front of her. Gwen frowned, glaring down at the book. After the disaster of her first Grimm class and finding that her knowledge of the creatures was vastly different from what was known the wolf had set out to write all she knew down. It was good practice for writing without a scroll and it lessened her frustration some. As weird as it sounded to her...friends she owed many Grimm her life.

But there was one thing she was forgetting. A very important thing. It kept niggling at her, forcing her awake last night. Maybe that was why she was so irritated with Port right now. Of course him referring to the Grimm as prey didn't help any. She had another term for them.

Warnings.

Gwen's frustrated sigh caused Yang to stir from her struggling to stay awake state. She glanced at the wolf, noticing the glare directed at the notebook before her. The blonde shook her head and smiled slightly. Weiss, and by extension Ruby, had been a major influence to the wolf. So it was only natural the two had very similar glares now. Gwen's was a little bit more fire than Weiss' but that could be because of her glowing red eye.

"Hey it'll come to you," she whispered, leaning over to her friend. Gwen had hesitantly used the word last night when the subject had been brought up by a visiting Penny. The cheers from Team RWBY had eased her and Yang finally got to give the taller whitette a bear hug. It was the first time Gwen had been out of breath since coming to Beacon but it was for a pleasant reason and her burning human ears had credited to that.

"What if it doesn't? What if it's something I learned while I was blacked out and now my subconscious knows but I can't pull it up?" Gwen's voice was a low growl and she was all but snarling at the page. Yes her glare came from Weiss but when she got angry enough she acted like a wolf. All snarls and growls.

Yang pulled Gwen into a lopsided one armed hug. The change was instant. Gwen stopped snarling and choked for air. The blonde grinned as she saw the woman's human ears turning a brilliant red. It seemed like their only purpose was to turn red when Yang hugged her.

"Don't worry about it. The information you've already got will send everyone running out to test it anyway. Maybe they'll chance upon what you're forgetting."

"Y-Yah maybe." The warm fuzzy had returned full force, just like it had last night when Yang had first hugged her. Gwen fiddled nervously with her sleeve, wondering what the hell she should do. Her mind was drawing blanks and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Maybe she had to ask someone. Yah that sounded right. But someone other than Yang. And definitely no one on Team RWBY. If word got back to the blonde somehow…

Thankfully the bell rang before she had to make a decision. Yang pulled her arm away and shoved her unused materials into her bag. Gwen hurriedly followed suit and stood, almost fumbling with her balance. When her grasp of the situation was thrown so was her balance. She had gotten better at walking around without her sword.

"You good to make it to the gym on your own?" Yang asked, shooting a narrowed eye glance up at the wolf. Gwen nodded, ignoring the warm fuzzy that bounced in joy at the mention of the gym. She wanted to reach inside her chest and poke the damn thing, demanding to know what it was. "Alright. I'll see you later in the dorm!" And with a wave she was off, not bothering to take the warm fuzzy with her.

Gwen growled low and walked in the direction she needed to go. Her thoughts drifted back to the blonde and she all but slammed her head into a wall. This was really starting to irritate her because she had no idea what __it __was.

Reality slammed into her in the form of Cardin Winchester. Seeing him again, the sneer on his face, ripped away the warm fuzzy. Instead the calm, powerful, __anger __at seeing him settled into her chest and Gwen relished it. She needed something to ground her before the upcoming event anyway.

"Mr. Winchester I assume you feel strong enough to stand up to me now," she stated calmly, folding her hands neatly behind her back. It was all she could do not to snarl. Still she knew showing restraint here would be to her benefit.

He lunged at her with a snarl. Gwen scowled and calmly side stepped the charge. She was not in the mood to deal with him. One hand stopped him from slamming full force into the wall but she used that hand to slam the man up into the wall.

"Use your damn head Winchester for once in your life," she snarled, baring the blood red fangs for him to see. "Do you think anyone really takes you seriously? Do you think you'll really make a difference by doing what you have been? Reality check. __You won't.__" Gwen dropped the man and went on her way. She wanted the warm fuzzy feeling back.

"You made it on your own today! That's good." Pyrrha Nikos. The redhead had agreed to give the wolf some lessons in sword play if she needed it. Today would determine that but Gwen was distracted by her drifting thoughts that revolved around Yang.

"I've been working out with Yang since I came to Beacon." Pyrrha smiled and gestured to the sparring area. Gwen sighed heavily and rubbed her fingers over her sword's handle. She hadn't been fighting with it since coming to Beacon. Her sheer strength made her a deadly combatant in hand to hand.

"Is something wrong?" Trust the Amazonian to be so in key to her feelings. Pyrrha had been training her whole life to notice details. Gwen had done so with desperation.

"What does it mean when you can't stop thinking about someone?" the wolf asked quietly a few moments later. Pyrrha frowned a little.

"Well that depends," she answered in a light tone. The redhead could tell her opponent was distracted by this and could potentially hinder her in today's test. "How do you think of this person?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think of them in a good way or a bad way?" Gwen frowned.

"Good? I just want to know about them. But like everything about them. And I don't want to learn it from others. I want to learn it from them, when they're ready to tell me."

"Alright that's defiantly good. You don't want to push this person away correct?" Gwen felt amount of small panic set in. Dust forbid she ever push away Yang.

"No. That would hurt too much," she answered in a low tone, avoiding Pyrrha's eyes. She clenched a hand over her chest and growled in frustration. "What is this warm fuzzy feeling I get when I think of her?"

"Picture yourself and this person in a scenario. Any scenario that springs to mind and feels right."

Gwen folded her legs beneath her and closed her eyes. A scenario that felt right? Well okay then. It wasn't something she had ever done to but it was like dreaming right? Only she was in control of it in a weird way.

Pyrrha watched as a gentle smile crossed the normally distant face. Whoever Gwen was thinking of had to be impressive for her attention to be caught within the few days she had been here. That or it was like Jaune had been in their first year at Beacon with Weiss. Sheer beauty was the only reason. But remembering the mercenary's earlier words Pyrrha doubted it was that. It could very well be a situation of love at first sight sort of thing.

"I want to hold her close," Gwen muttered, opening her eyes. "I want to be the one she cuddles up to when she has nightmares and to be the one who wakes me up by dumping cold on my head." Team RWBY had discovered that the third morning Gwen was with them. She had been in a really deep sleep and it was only when Yang tripped and accidentally spilled her water bottle onto her head that the wolf had bolted awake. "I want...oh." Dual colored eyes had widened slightly.

"You know what it is now," Pyrrha stated calmly with a smile. The nod was hesitant and slightly fearful. "You like her. A lot by the sounds of it." Another nod. The Amazonian felt her smile widening. Sure the wolf was distant but she was also devoted. Her refusal to give any details about her dead mercenary group was a clear sign to that. "So what are you going to do about that?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well there is a dance coming up soon. Maybe you could ask her to that."

"I don't know how to dance." Pyrrha laughed, knowing instantly that was the only hurdle. And from what she had seen the wolf was a devote learner.

"Jaune is a fabulous dancer," she said, offering her hand out. Gwen took it, uncurling from her meditative position. "I'll ask him if he can teach you. We can even use this time frame on Tuesdays and Thursdays if that works for you."

"Professor Ozpin specifically worked my schedule to have this time slot free for any additional learning I may need," the half-Faunus chuckled. "Mondays are out though. I have aura control class with Professor Goodwitch."

"That works out well then. Now come on. We still need to test your skills with a sword." Gwen nodded and followed Pyrrha onto the sparring mats. It was odd but these were the same mats Yang had taught her the palm strike earlier that day. "Who is your crush if I may know?" The wolf choked and felt her ears warming considerable. The warm fuzzy was back, what she now knew to be liking. A lot of liking.

"If I tell you you've got to promise to not tell a soul, not even anyone on your team," she answered in a serious tone. It was the most serious tone that Pyrrha had ever heard Gwen speak in and the drilling gaze only added to that. The red eye seemed to glow dangerously so, adding to the unspoken threat of what would happen should the Amazonian tell.

"I promise," she answered in a solemn tone. That seemed to satisfy the nervous woman. Her gaze dropped and she couldn't even look Pyrrha in the eyes.

"It's Yang. I feel this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest every time she so much as acknowledges my presence and I can't even look at her without my ears warming up." And her ears were burning right now, voice dropped to a low whisper. Pyrrha only chuckled and reached up to grasp the wolf's shoulder.

"She must have made a good impression on you at some point. Now come on. We need to actually do something that involves swords." Gwen nodded, not bothering to correct the Amazonian. Yang hadn't done anything impressive. She had just been herself and that was what Gwen liked. Her bubbly personality was soothing to the wolf. She knew there was a pain beneath that though and wanted to know desperately what it was so she could help the blonde heal.

Shaking her head clear of those thoughts Gwen pulled her sword from her belt, wolf ears picking up the faint sound of bone against metal. Her aura sprang to life, forming quickly around her body. Still the sword stayed curved like a pirate's. If it had been straight and with two cutting edges Gwen would look more like the knight her aura armor modeled itself after.

Pyrrha had settled into her own stance and was waiting calmly for the first strike. Gwen frowned, and started circling slowly, looking for a weakness. There was obviously the points where the woman's armor didn't cover but the Amazonian would expecting attacks to those areas.

Pyrrha only moved her head to watch the circling wolf. When she had to jerk it around to the other side to keep Gwen in sight was when the armored figure surged forward. Her legs were powerful but her footfalls were light, a habit she had picked up from the single mountain lion to wander into her world. But some instinct of Pyrrha's had the woman whirling around, bringing the shield up to block Gwen's sword and stabbing at the crook in the armor where the knee was briefly unprotected.

Raising her leg up Gwen redirected the attack harmlessly off to the side, metal bouncing off the bone plate. Her free hand shot out, intent on landing a weak punch to Pyrrha's gut. But the other woman pulled back and got a few feet of distance between them before the blow could be landed. Then she was charging back in, throwing the wolf onto the defensive.

Pyrrha noticed that Gwen actually hardly used her sword for attacking in the fight. She mainly used her free hand and legs to block the Amazonian's sword. The few times that the curved blade had come into play was all what would amount to killing blows in a real battle. But Pyrrha would jump back, dodge, or block with her shield. She couldn't tell what Gwen was thinking beneath her helmet. So she changed her weapon's form and tried a different tactic.

__She just dodged point blank fire with no effort __Pyrrha mentally gawked. Gwen hadn't made any sort of visible reaction when the rifle had started firing. She just kept charging forward, weaving impossible so to dance around the bullets. Then the cutting edge was up against the Amazonian's throat, ending her train of thought.

"Checkmate," Gwen said calmly, her aura smoking off her. Like a dead Grimm dissolving. Pyrrha tugged at her weapon only to find it unresponsive. The iron grip Gwen had on it was making sure of that.

"That was a humbling fight," Pyrrha said at last, a grin breaking out onto her face. It was rare for her to fight a battle she couldn't win and this was refreshing. It told her that yes, she still had things to work out. "Your fighting style is unique. If you feel up to it I'd like to do this again sometime."

"I'd like that actually." Gwen stepped back, releasing the rifle from her grip and sheathing her own blade in one smooth motion. "Does this time work for you as well?"

"Yes it does. So I'll see you here again next week?"

"That sounds like a plan. Will you not be there for the dance lessons?"

"I'll come to some," Pyrrha laughed, running a towel over her face. Gwen nodded and turned to leave. "And Gwen." The wolf paused and turned to the Amazonian with a tilted head. "Good luck with your crush on Yang." Instantly her calm mask was broken, leaving a flushed and red eared woman in its wake. Pyrrha grinned and let the mercenary go.

Today had been good day.

**A/N That awkward moment when you realize your original AN literally was just you fangirling hardcore about your own damn story..._**


	9. Rainy Fun - Revised

****Saturday...****

Ruby smiled sympathetically as Gwen slammed her head down onto the table with a low growl. The heavy math book jumped a little and the pencil rolled off. It was a rainy Saturday morning and all the wolf wanted to do was run outside to experience this falling water that wasn't snow.

"I can kill a Grimm half asleep and half blinded," the mercenary growled, raising her head to glare at the math book. "But I don't get any of this numbers crap. What do I even need it for anyway?" Ruby chuckled and picked the pencil back up.

"Money transactions and assessing how many enemies you have left," she answered. Another low growl rose into the air. "What aren't you getting? And don't say all of it. Try to be more specific."

"The letters stuff. 3x(5y + 8xy). Who the hell thinks of these things?"

"Math teachers. Here let's try it again. We do what's in the parentheses first."

From her spot in one of the small seats the dorm offered Weiss watched the exchange with a mix of pride and guilt. Pride at Ruby for helping Gwen learn math (she was arguably the best due to her weapons building) and guilt that Gwen needed help to begin with. The wolf was able to understand basic addition and subtraction, perking up with delight when she answered the problems right. If the question was medical in any way, shape, or form Gwen was able to answer it with ease. She'd sometimes rant at how much was being used but didn't know why. It was just her semblance speaking through her.

Weiss cringed, remembering what her cousin's semblance was. Healing had never been heard of before but it fit the bill for Gwen. But there was something more to it than that. Something that allowed her aura to keep working even after she had been killed. She had said before she should be dead and when one died their semblance wasn't supposed to work anymore. Something had allowed Gwen's semblance to stay active and reboot her system. It might be as simple as sheer desperation and a lack of understanding the situation. Weiss had a niggling doubt though.

The former heiress still kept her studious habits which gave her a fair amount of free time now that it only had to be what she felt was enough. Not what she felt her father thought was enough. In her newly acquired free time she had been looking up anything she could on Gwen's condition whenever the wolf or Ruby weren't free.

So far the only thing that the fencer had come across was people who had swallowed Grimm blood. The only connection was the aura. Black smoke had become their aura and when they went insane enough they became Grimm. Usually a Beowolf or Ursa though. Never the knight like form Gwen had.

But those people were insane in two ways. One was to cower and hide in a corner, mentally cut off from the rest of the world. No one felt heartless enough to let those people live. The second was the dangerous insane, a killing machine that could only be stopped by extreme measures. Those didn't live long either, for obvious reasons.

Gwen was as sane as she could be given her upbringing. In fact it was a wonder she had adjusted to this life so easily. Unless it was all just an act and she was still expecting to get shot in the back. That seemed entirely more plausible.

Weiss shook her head and tried focusing back on her scroll. Her cousin was a strange woman no doubt. Even stranger still was that she couldn't met Yang's eyes yet even though the two had been spending a lot of time together. Almost the same amount of time Gwen had been spending with Weiss.

"That's it you got it Gwen!" Ruby's cheer broke her concentration. Weiss looked up again, giving up her research for the moment. The scythe wielder was grinning at the wolf who was staring at the paper like she still couldn't understand it. A small chuckle rose to the fencer's lips. Life had certainly become more worthwhile since Gwen arrived. Hell it had started having more worth to it since the former heiress started at Beacon.

__And to think I hated your guts at first Ruby __Weiss mused quietly.

"So can we take a break now? I feel like my brain is going to melt out my ears," the taller whitette whined, fidgeting on the floor. Ruby chuckled and nodded. "Thank you!" The wolf flopped over and put her arm over her eyes. A small whimper of relief left her lips.

"We have to be at the infirmary in an hour," Weiss reminded her cousin. The arm moved, letting the red eye to show.

"That's easy! This math stuff is literally the work of Grimm."

"Don't be so dramatic," Blake stated, walking in. She did not look happy at all, being soaked head to toe. Yang had dragged her outside to play in the rain and now the cat Faunus was livid with anger. Of course her shaking could be because she was cold too.

"Go take a shower," Weiss chuckled, rising from her seat. "I'll get some hot water going for you." Blake twitched and shuddered as a bead of cold water ran down her spine. The fencer turned to her cousin and her team leader. "And before you two ask just go. Go play outside with Yang for a little while. Just watch the time okay Gwen?"

"Really really?!" Ruby was already hurriedly throwing her stuff into a bag. Gwen had perked up, ears forward and dual colored eyes wide. Weiss sighed and nodded. The wolf jumped up and bounced on her heels. "Awesome!" The two human shaped puppies charged out of the dorm, laughing and joking.

"Did you have to do that?"

"I'd rather her wear off that energy and excitement now than on the way to the infirmary. This way at least she'll be somewhat dry when we get there."

"Fair point. I'm going to take a shower." Weiss nodded and turned her attention to the kitchenette as Blake disappeared down the small hall. The rain pounded against the window and looking out she could spot the blurred yellow blob that was Yang. She was quickly joined by a white blob and a red blob. The fencer shook her head and let the three have their fun.

Yang laughed as Gwen jumped from puddle to puddle much like Zwei would. Beside her Ruby was doing the same thing, although with much less of a splash. Blake had finally broken away from the brawler who had quite literally dragged her outside. The blonde grinned.

"You guys want to have a puddle war?" she asked. Ruby groaned but she was smiling and moving to a decent sized puddle. Gwen tilted her head curiously, blithely ignoring the rain pounding on her shoulders.

"Puddle war?" she echoed.

"Like this!" Slamming her foot into her current puddle Yang made the wave that formed grow exceptionally large by directing the water with her aura. Gwen yelped and staggered back as the wave hit. She wiped the water from her eyes in time to see the laughing blonde get soaked by a wave from Ruby. The scythe wielder cheered then ran for it when her sister retaliated.

"C'mon!" she called with a laugh. Gwen hesitantly followed suit, wondering how the hell she would be able to use her aura without it being directly over her body or through healing.

What was a war quickly became an all out target on Gwen. The wolf yelped and ducked, shooting Yang one of the half grins that showed off her red fangs. Ruby hummed, eyes narrowing. There had to be a reason for that.

"Why are you hiding behind me?!"

"Because you started this!" Gwen gasped as the wave pounded into her stomach. She staggered back, laughing breathlessly, not even trying to run from the dual assault of waves. Rain was a fun thing for sure.

Yang was regaining her strength while Ruby was attacking. The wolf saw this and ran at the brawler again. A high jump and the blonde would get hit with the wave. The problem was footing.

Gwen yelped with alarm as she slipped and slammed into Yang. Instincts came into play for both of them. Yang grabbed at the first thing she could which just happened to be Gwen as the wolf's weight and momentum carried them down. Gwen thrust out one hand, the other curling protectively around the blonde. The minute her hand hit the cement Gwen was pushing off it, turning with the imbalance and slamming back first into the ground, Yang on top of her.

"Yang! Gwen!" Ruby ran over, panic in her voice. She spotted the black smoke that was Gwen's aura sparking to life. It settled around the back of her head and surprisingly Yang's gloved hands. Gasping with alarm the scythe wielder knelt and gently touched her sister's shoulder.

Yang's eyes fluttered open at the touch. She sat up slowly, noting the unnatural chill around her hands and the slight itchy feeling there. Working quickly she yanked off her gloves, revealing the skin had been torn and battered on her knuckles. The black smoke was working to heal those wounds and caused her to shiver. This was the first she had seen the wolf's semblance in action.

"Yang?" Ruby's voice was hesitant and nervous. The blonde grinned sheepishly at her sister.

"Kinda hit the punching bag too hard," she explained with a nervous and embarrassed laugh. Ruby sighed and gently bumped her sister on the head, a silent way of telling the blonde to take better care of herself.

"Bleh rain does not taste good," Gwen growled, throwing up her hand against the falling water. Her eyes were squinted against it and her head pounded something awful. Her aura was still active, focusing on a specific spot on her head. "You okay Yang?"

"Yah I'm good. Thanks." The blonde didn't move from her spot that left her straddling the wolf's waist. The half-Faunus whimpered softly as something clicked back into place. Ruby shivered, realizing it was a bone she hadn't heard break. Yang cringed and leaned over to stop the rain from hitting Gwen in the face. "What about you? You okay?"

"I-I will be in a few," she answered, feeling her ears heat up. But she met Yang's gaze with her own, determined to not let anything show. Not the way her heart sped up or how the warm fuzzy was practically jumping for joy.

"You sure?"

"Y-yah. Um can you get off me now?"

"Nope! Not until your aura stops healing that bump to the head." Gwen sighed but admitted defeat. If she was perfectly honest with herself she didn't mind their current position. She just didn't want something to happen that would push the blonde away from her.

Ruby watched the exchange quietly, eyes narrowed and curious. Gwen was acting a little different than she usually did when just around the team. It had something to do with Yang, that much was certain. But was it a good thing or bad thing?

"We should probably go back inside," the young leader said as the two finally got off the ground. Yang pouted but agreed nonetheless. "You have to be at the infirmary in half an hour Gwen." The wolf nodded, gently touching the back her head. Perfectly fine, like a piece of her skull hadn't just lodged itself into her brain.

The trip back was silent. Ruby walked in front, trying to figure out her friend's odd behavior around her sister. Yang and Gwen walked side by side, the blonde's hands clasped behind her head and a grin on her face. Gwen yawned, tired by the heavy use of her aura. Yang awed in her head, thinking the taller woman looked exactly like a wolf puppy when she yawned.

"You three have fun?" Weiss asked as the group stumbled in. Ruby grinned and nodded, mirrored by her sister who also gave a thumbs up. Blake shot a glare at her and tugged the thick fuzzy blanket closer. Gwen yawned again. "Alright. Gwen go take a shower and get into dry clothes. Make it quick though."

"No problem," the wolf said and went on her way. Yang also disappeared into her room. Her aura would dry her off in a few seconds. Ruby followed her partner into the kitchen, a delighted gleam in her eyes.

"Ruby Rose if you even __think __of putting your cold hands on me I will hide your cookie stash," Weiss warned. The black and red haired woman pouted but still moved closer. "What are you doing?" The fencer had to stubbornly fight a blush as her friend leaned down.

"I think Gwen has a crush on Yang," she whispered into the shorter woman's ear. Then she was giggling and dancing away. Weiss stared at her. "What? It's true!"

"You only think it's true Ruby."

"So ask her!"

"Huh?"

"On the way to the infirmary silly. And I'll ask Yang too cuz she's not been herself around Gwen either. Maybe they like each other and don't know it!"

"Oh good grief," Weiss sighed, face palming. She knew exactly why Yang was acting different and was happy to hear that the blonde was seriously attempting to try to make a relationship where the two parties were equal. But if Gwen started to try making it more than that? Things could get ugly real quick.

Gwen walked back into the room, thus ending the conversation verbally. Ruby shot a pleading glance at the fencer. Weiss sighed and nodded. She would ask on the way. Hopefully it didn't throw Gwen too far off her normal balance.

The two cousins grabbed their scrolls and headed out. The silence was comfortable, broken occasionally by a small yawn from the wolf. Weiss frowned. The only thing to really drain her cousin was using her aura to excessive amounts. Hell even staying up late didn't bother her.

"Gwen do you like Yang?" She decided to be upfront about it. Gwen choked mid-yawn, staggering for balance. Weiss felt a small smile twitch her lips upward. Maybe the wolf really did like the brawler.

"W-what makes you say that?" The stutter was a first. Honestly she was surprised that there hadn't been a stutter before. But given the cover of mercenary it was probably a good thing.

"Ruby noticed it. She said you were acting different around her sister."

"A-and that means?"

"That's what I'm asking you. Do you like Yang?"

The silence that followed was thicker than earlier. Weiss pursed her lips and looked up at her cousin. Gwen's human ears were a painful red and her dual colored gaze was off to the side. She looked scared and nervous, kind of like a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. A soft sigh silently escaped the fencer. Things were going to get ugly.

"Don't tell her alright? Don't tell anyone, not even Ruby. I...I want to do things right." Gwen's confession was quiet, reserved, and scared, much like the woman herself. Weiss frowned.

"What do you mean by right?" she asked. Gwen sighed and ran her fingers through her short hair. She looked conflicted and frustrated.

"Yang is...she's..." Weiss could think of a dozen words for the blonde but didn't think any would help her cousin. "She's like a medieval style dragon. Strong and beautiful. Seems like nothing can bother her. But one lucky hit or a carefully planned one after wearing her down and she's just that. Down. Out for the count. Defeated. I want to be the one to protect her from that. I want to be the one that when that hit finally comes I'm right there helping her back up. I want...I want...I want her to be free around me. To drop any act she's putting forth and just be herself."

Weiss couldn't help the shock coursing through her body. Most people only saw the blonde as a bubbly and fiercely protective woman. Some men saw her as something break, to kill her strength (the blonde usually knocked their lights out pretty quick). Some saw her as a trophy. Most saw her as out of their league because of her untouchable and confident front.

Then there was Gwen. A half-Faunus pulled from running to live to a stable situation. She saw the brawler different. She saw the blonde as someone to hold and protect, but not overly so to the point of suffocation.

Weiss laughed silently to herself. She had forced Yang to not act on the big sister instinct. She had said Gwen didn't need to be protected. And now Gwen was saying the same thing about Yang.

"I won't tell anyone," Weiss promised with a smile. Gwen sighed with relief. "Does anyone else know?"

"Pyrrha does. She helped me realize this warm fuzzy for what it was." Gwen went cross eyed trying to glare at her chest. Weiss chuckled softly. "Does anyone know you like Ruby?"

"What?!" Now the shock was more of anger. Gwen gave a one shoulder shrug, looking back up with a bored expression on her face.

"You act differently around Ruby. If that's the premise for liking someone then isn't it true for you?"

"I'm trying to help Ruby heal from a long pain."

"Why? Did you cause the pain?"

"Well no."

"Then what other reason is there to help her then from liking her?"

"Because she's my friend!"

"And do friends spend every night together in the same bed?" Weiss fumed silently. Her cousin had limited knowledge of the situation and her answers were simple. The fencer wouldn't betray Ruby by spilling her secret. They had never told the wolf what they were doing in that area. So there was no way to argue with her.

"I don't know if I like her like that alright? Right now I really do want to help her finally recover from that pain and that's it." Gwen made a small noise in the back of her throat and let the subject drop. Weiss sighed gratefully and collected herself. They had reached the infirmary.

Ruby waited eagerly for her partner to text her with the answer. Yang was still in her room, even after the scythe wielder took a quick shower. Blake was falling asleep with her book. Giggling softly the young leader left the common area and went to her own room. Crescent Rose was in need of a tune up.

That was where Yang found her sister. Ruby was fully engrossed with her task, a peaceful expression on her face. The blonde stared for a little bit, realizing that the smile was vastly different from the normal one. That one was still slightly pained and a little forced. This one was small but true, silver eyes lighting up with it. Yang smiled and walked over to her sister's side quietly.

"Times sure have changed huh sis?" she said, flopping down onto the ground. Ruby hummed and nodded, eyes still on her beloved weapon. "Neither of us saw this coming."

"Definitely not," Ruby chuckled, running her thumb gently along her weapon's blade. Much to Yang's silent pleasure the touch wasn't strong enough to draw blood like it usually was. "True friends are good things." Yang nodded, remembering Ruby's friends from Signal. The friends that never knew what was wrong because they never cared enough to ask beyond given the answer 'she's not feeling well' from Yang.

"So that's what Weiss is to you?" Her tone was light and teasing. Ruby instantly pouted.

"Yang! Don't make it weird! If she knows I like her it might stop all of this." Yang laughed before the words finally processed in her brain. The two sisters mirrored each other in a face drop.

"Wait what?"

"Oh Dust no. Just forget I said anything. Yah just forget it. I never said a word. Totally not." Ruby looked scared and fearful, curling slightly around her weapon. Yang had no idea why.

"What are you afraid of Ruby?" the blonde asked, keeping her expression curious. She had an inkling of an idea as to why her sister was fervently denying having said anything about liking Weiss. Yang only hoped it wasn't true.

"I um...I don't want you to scare her away by going 'rawr big sister protection'." Yang cringed but smiled all the same. Now she could ease her sister's nerves.

"I'm not going to do that Ruby." She pulled the younger woman close in a familiar embrace of comfort. "You're all grown up now and I have to learn to trust your decisions with your life. So don't worry about it okay? I will give you fair warning that I will tease you endless about this though."

"You really mean that Yang? You're not going to pull the protective big sister card?"

"Of course I mean it. It's going to be a little hard but I'll do it okay? Trust me." Ruby smiled and cuddled into Yang. The brawler grinned in return and ran her fingers through her sister's hair. "It does help that I know Weiss better than anyone else you might date. Just being honest." Ruby laughed and playfully shoved her sister away. "Oh you're asking for it."

"Yang no!" Peals of laughter erupted from the young scythe wielder as she tried squirming away from the brawler. The two sisters rolled around the room in a mess of yellow and red. The noise was loud enough to wake Blake in the common room. Grumbling she left to her room, blanket wrapped snuggly around her shoulders.

"Do you admit defeat?" Yang asked, holding her sister down with ease. Ruby nodded breathlessly, almost in tears. The blonde grinned and let the younger woman go. "Good. Just so you know I'm totally going to tease you and Weiss about your little crush."

"Hey! That's not far! You don't have a crush I can tease you about!" Ruby protested, a pout on her lips. Then she smirked. "Unless you do." Yang cringed slightly and grinned sheepishly. With Gwen around the pain of watching Blake be with Sun had lessened slightly. It still hurt though. "Oh my gosh you do! That's so awesome Yang!"

"Wait what?" She pulled away from her sister's enthusiastic hug. Ruby tilted her head.

"Well you're always looking out for me that you never do something for you." Lilac eyes widened slightly. "So now you have something for you!"

"Aw c'mere you." Yang pulled Ruby into a tight hug to hide the tears that had suddenly sprung to life.

"Yang can't breath." Another squeeze and Ruby was released to take deep desperate gasps. "So do I know this lucky person?"

"Ugh."

"Aw come on! You know I'm crushing on Weiss!"

"This is different." __Because I can't be with her.__

"How is it any different than my crush on Weiss?" Yang cringed and looked in the direction of Blake's room, a distant look to her eyes. "Yang?"

"It's going to be nothing. I was too slow to act." Yah that sounded better than 'I didn't act because I knew she would get hurt when we got hated on for being a Faunus and human couple and I was scared too'.

"Wait so it's not Gwen?"

"Where did you get that idea from?"

"You act so different around her!"

"I do?" Apart from not acting like a big sister the blonde had acted exactly like herself. Was being a big sister so apart of her that she hadn't realized there was a vast different when she wasn't being a big sister?

"You totally do! You laugh more around her. And you're teaching her hand-to-hand! You said you would __never __teach anyone that." That was because it was her escape.

"Huh. I never realized that before," Yang said, a thoughtful expression on her face. Ruby frowned and pulled her weapon to her to collapse it. If it wasn't Gwen then who could it be?

'__I was too slow to act' she said. So who is dating now that wasn't before? Jaune? Nah he's too much the damsel in distress for Yang. Pyrrha? No they're both too helping and would probably try to outdo the other.__

"It's Blake isn't it? The one you have a crush on," Ruby said softly. Yang froze, alarm racing across her face. The scythe wielder sighed and gave her sister a gentle hug. "Why did you let her go to Sun then?" The brawler closed her eyes so the tears wouldn't show.

"I knew if we started dating she'd get upset when people hated on her more for being a Faunus in a relationship with a human," she whispered back quietly, hesitantly returning the hug. More contact meant more of a chance of her subtle shaking being known.

"But most everyone doesn't know Blake is a Faunus Yang. What's the real reason?"

A thick silence filled the room. Ruby found herself comforting her older sister. Three weeks ago she would have never thought Yang would ever need comfort. Three weeks ago she had pretended to be asleep when Yang walked in looking for her on her birthday. Three weeks ago she had realized that even her sister was weak at times.

"I was scared." The admission was quiet and Ruby had to strain her ears to hear it. She felt a crashing amount of guilt but smiled all the same. Yang had sacrificed her childhood trying to make Ruby happy. Now it was time to start repaying that debt.

"Well don't be anymore," the scythe wielder said, pulling back to look Yang in the eyes. The blonde was surprised at her sister's tone. "I know you. You're not going to act on your crush for Blake. It would hurt her. But the next crush you get you act on it. Understand?" A finger jabbed into Yang's shoulder.

"I'll try," Yang laughed, rubbing her tears away. Ruby frowned and jabbed the blonde's shoulder again. "Okay okay! Geez! I will!" Yang laughed and pulled her sister's hood over her eyes. "Who would have thought I'd be getting romance advice from you?"

"Yang! It's not advice it's orders! As your little sister I want to see you happy! So there!" Pulling her hood back up Ruby stuck out her tongue. Yang responded in kind. "Besides we're both adults now. I can take care of myself so you don't have to worry about me as much. You can afford to do something for you."

"And you got Weiss looking out for you as well too!"

"Hey! I'm going to be looking out for her too! I already do! As her partner and her leader and her friend!" With folded arms and triumphant look Ruby seemed more like a proud kid than a fearless leader. Yang laughed and pulled her sister back into another hug.

"Alright alright. I get it," she laughed, feeling like she wasn't forcing emotions around Ruby for the first time in a long while. "I'll start focusing more on things for me now okay? And you work your magic on Weiss." A low groan and an eye roll accompanied the last comment. But the smile was all for the first part. "Times really have changed."

**A/N I like having this little bit in my stories but sometimes I don't even know what to say. Talking to the people actually reading this is hard. **


	10. Truthful Distraction

"Seven years ago the White Fang started becoming more violent. They got a new leader with a new way of doing things."

"Seven years ago is when our supplies first started running out and James started to leave to get more. He never told me where he was going and he can fly faster than I can run."

"That could just be a coincidence."

"True. I just think it's a little strange is all. Has there been any increase in attacks over the last month?"

"You're not seriously considering he's the new leader."

"James is capable of many things and is also very angry with the human race as a whole. I'm not ruling out anything. Even him being an evil mastermind is better than him being dead. He's my only family left."

"You're positive neither of your parents survived?"

"As sure as I can be without checking the village."

"Village? You lived in a village?"

"Well yah. It wasn't just my family there. It was a safe haven for all Faunus and the humans they loved. Other humans would only come to the area if they were desperate or driven to kill us. We were able to sustain ourselves and most of the Dust we used for weapons was mined and purified in the area."

Blake stared at the half-Faunus across the table from her. Gwen tilted her head, wondering why the woman was shocked. Beside them Yang looked up, unnerved by the silence that had fallen. She pulled out her earbuds and looked between the two.

"We always thought it was just your family in the area," the cat Faunus finally said. Gwen made a noise in the back of her throat, gaining a thoughtful expression.

"Mama said the same thing," she answered. "She said it was so that we weren't targeted. Guess that turned out to be wrong."

"Do you think you could make your way back there?"

"To the village? From here? Definitely not. From the cliff? Might take me a bit but I could figure it out. The cemetery is directly south of the main gate if I remember correctly."

"Cemetery?"

"Yah. James was annoyed with it but I insisted we bury those who came and died. It was better than letting them get eaten by the animals or the Grimm."

"But the grave on top of the cliff you don't know how it got there?" Yang asked, an odd note to her voice. Gwen ran her fingers through her hair, a tried expression on her face. That was all the blonde needed. "And you're certain you don't know who it's for?"

"I think so. I'm missing memories and information. It all ties together I know it does. The problem is remembering what I need to complete the puzzle." Gwen buried her face into her hands and growled in frustration. Her red eye became visible, glaring at the leatherbound book that was constantly at her side.

Blake and Yang shared a silent conversation. On one hand telling Gwen about her family and what they believed had happened to it might spark those memories. On the other hand telling her might spark her aura into going out of control as her emotions went haywire from information being withheld from her. It was a heavy decision and not one to be taken lightly.

Blake pulled out her scroll and sent off a message to Ruby. If they were going to do this they needed her input. And Ozpin's. He had said that as long as she wasn't registered as a Kelling and it wasn't slipped that she was a Kelling then the council would stay off his case. At least for a while until they figured out the mercenary story was a fake and there had never been a Faunus group taking jobs like Hunters' jobs without actually being Hunters themselves.

Ten minutes later it was agreed that telling Gwen might spark her memory. The risk was worth it.

Yang took a deep breath and braced for impact. Blake shot her a look, silently reminding the blonde that for the wolf actions speak louder than words. Grimacing the brawler forced herself to relax. Things were about to get ugly.

"Gwen have you read about the conflict between the Schnee Dust Company and the Kelling Dust Company?" Blake asked gently. The wolf blinked then frowned.

"Yah I have. Basically the Schnees' were jealous fools and wiped out the Kellings. Although there might be some Kellings left because no one ever knew what happened at the family compound."

"Do you know what caused that conflict?"

"Likely that fact that William Schnee fell in love with Mary Kelling and they got married. After there not a word from either of them. Many speculate that the two went to the compound to let things cool off. Instead the Schnees' attacked and killed them there."

"Gwen...All Schnees have white hair and blue eyes." A dual colored gaze rose slowly to amber eyes. Blake looked sad and scared. Gwen was just shocked.

A hand shot out. Gwen's fingers flew over the keyboard of Blake's scroll, pulling up information and pictures. Yang frowned, leaning over the wolf's shoulder. Usually the motion would prompt her ears to turn brilliant red but not this time. She was looking up pictures of the two lovers in question.

Gwen whimpered, looking at the two images she had pulled up. Shaking she handed the scroll back to Blake. Yang pulled the wolf into a hug.

"Are they?"

"Yah. It's them. Gosh fucking damnit. What did my family ever do wrong?!" One fist slammed into the table, breaking the wood neatly in half. Her other hand covered her face. She took a deep breath and looked up.

Her left eye, the blue one, brimmed with tears. A few had trickled down, creating a trail of pain that was usually hidden by her calm mask and thirst for knowledge. Yang resisted the urge to wipe the tears away. She was still trying to figure out if she actually did like the wolf and didn't want to lead her on.

The right eye was terrifying. Blake shivered. The red iris had expanded to the edges over Gwen's eyes, making it completely red. There wasn't even a pupil anymore. It still glowed and now the glow was harsh, promising a very painful and bloody death.

"Wait...Weiss looks a Schnee...a Snowflake as I know them better...but her last name is Belladona." The silence was thick enough to walk into.

"She was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," Blake explained softly. Gwen stiffened and her lips tugged into a snarl. "When she learned what her family had done to yours she took the steps to remove herself from them. She didn't even know of your father, her uncle before it was brought up in class a week ago. Weiss didn't have a last name so I offered her mine. I'm an orphan too. Anyone carrying the last name Belladona is."

"She's my cousin?"

"Yes."

"And why wasn't I told this before?"

"We weren't sure how'd you react. And if the council learned of you then Mr. Schnee, the head of SDC, would also learn of you."

"Fucking Snowflakes."

"We're sorry Gwen," Yang said softly, reaching up and gently scratching between the wolf ears. Gwen slumped with a low whimper, part annoyance and part pleasure. After learning that usually the motion was considered insulting she said she didn't care. It felt nice and that was that.

"It's alright. I get it," she mumbled, rubbing her temples. "I may not like it but I get it. Thank you for telling me now though." A somewhat more relaxed silence filled the small section of the library the three occupied. Gwen tilted her head to allow the blonde better access to the spot between her ears and whimpered in relief when Yang activated her aura some.

The sudden chime of Blake's scroll broke the silence. Yang twitched as one of Gwen's ears brushed against her palm toward the sound. That wasn't something you felt every day.

"Where are you guys?" Ruby's voice was a little distorted by the speaker but there was no mistaking the slight note of concern.

"The library. Why?"

"Mr. Schnee found out Weiss declared herself independent. He's storming toward the school now. We need to stall him. Somehow."

"Leave that to me," Gwen growled, standing up. Her aura sparked to life, forming a blindfold over her left eye. The red eye glowed harshly but stayed in the form of a normal eye and iris.

"What are you going to do?" Yang asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Gwen shot her one of the half grins but with only the red eye showing it wasn't cheerful. It was crazy.

"Provide a distraction," she answered, pulling off her jacket. "Hold that for me?" Yang took the blue material cautiously, eyes narrowed. Gwen clucked her tongue. "Don't worry I won't kill him. Just confuse him." And she stormed away, aura creeping to life to form a black trench coat over her shirt and jeans.

"Did you know she could do that?" the blonde whispered. Beside her Blake shook her head, just as mystified and concerned. "Right me either. She looks like some hard ass mercenary now. It's always the tall ones."

Gwen crafted her lips into a smirk as she marched her way toward the small group of five that had gathered on the docking platform. The snowflake on the side of the airship glared at her. A small part of her wanted to run when the Dust guns trained on her but she fought it down. She was stronger know, more skilled, and filled with a burning desire to teach the fools a lesson.

"Mr. Schnee welcome to Beacon. I hope your trip was pleasant." It killed her to bow, hands clasped neatly behind her back. Papa had always bowed like that she remembered. She never understood why.

"And who are?" the man asked, eyes narrowed at the wolf ears atop her head. Gwen straightened, a mock look of surprise on her face.

"Why sir! I thought you were well aware of my family's debt to you! Without you giving my parents jobs they would have never been able to afford to send me to Signal. From there I was able to gain admittance into Beacon through hard work." She was tasting blood. It came from biting her cheek.

"I was unaware of anything of the sort."

"Well I suppose it makes sense. If looking at you as a role model as taught me anything is that we must only use the weak for own purposes. Correct sir?" At least she had delayed them some. And now the men had surrounded her, weapons still drawn. Well wasn't that perfect?

"Finally someone who sees it my way. Very well then. Perhaps I could use your help on this small matter."

"If it helps in any way to repay my family's debt to you gladly sir. Is this small matter the same reason why you've come to Beacon sir?"

"Correct. My eldest daughter saw it fit to remove herself from the family. What do you know of this?"

"Nothing of the sort sir. My team and I just returned from a week long mission. I am however familiar with where her team dorm is. Would you like me to show you the way sir?"

"That would be much appreciated," the man said, indicating for her to lead the way. Gwen bowed and straightened, setting an easy pace. They were about half-way to the front door when she spoke up.

"What are you planning to do your daughter sir?" she asked, a curious note to her voice. The man scowled.

"Teach her a lesson."

"The same lesson you taught your brother Mr. Schnee?" The group stopped. Gwen smirked.

"Who are you?!"

"Gwen Kelling." She pulled her sword, which had been hidden by the trench coat and swung it in a high circle, arcing it over the head of SDC. The man snarled and pulled his own blade, a rapier like Weiss', as his men fell down, all dead. Gwen smirked and leveled her blade at him. "Your move Schnee."

"Do you have any idea who I am?!"

"A jealous fool. Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I don't care! Out of my way dog!" He lunged at her to which Gwen side-stepped neatly. The best block was not being there. Still that didn't mean to get totally out of range. Her range. Her foot shot out and connected with the man's knee. It cracked sharply and he dropped.

"Catch me if you can Schnee!" she laughed, turning and running for the cliff. Right at the ship. But that was okay. Her aura reformed, taking on the knight armor she had come to wear with pride. Her sword also reformed, a first. It was now double edged and straight, much like a knight's blade. But this was a massive claymore tucked neatly on her back, not a simple little blade.

"What is she doing?!" Weiss hissed, watching the debacle from the dorm window. Men were spilling out the airship that the armored wolf was running toward. Beside the fencer Ruby looked through the scope of her rifle, contemplating firing. But the question was who to shoot. Anyone of those men could be the one to finally kill Gwen. Closer to the building the head of SDC was shouting and yelling.

"Damn when did her sword change form as well?" Yang asked, walking over to the window. Weiss frowned and focused on her cousin's new weapon. The massive blade was held easily in one hand, the other providing a balancing point. It sliced through the men neatly where chest armor and leg armor usually met but didn't quite protect. Then she was gone from sight, inside the ship. "You don't think she's going to take over the ship is she?"

"She wouldn't be able to fly it. There's no point."

"So what the hell is she doing?!"

"Jumping out of it," Ruby said quietly, looking up from her scope and frowning. Not all the men were dead just most of them. Three shocked gazes turned to her. "Remember when we first met her? She said she was going to jump off the cliff to lose the men chasing her."

"But she'd die from this height!" Yang answered, panic in her voice. Blake shook her head, understanding.

"No. Her drive to live won't let her die. I think that's what she's tapped into now," the cat Faunus said sadly. Ruby nodded in agreement. "It could explain why her sword changed form as well."

"But why? Why is she doing this?" Weiss whispered, watching some of the men run out and drag her father back into the ship.

"We told her about her family and your's Weiss. Maybe she's using that to redirect your father's anger at her?"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Well we just have to find her before SDC does and ask her! Let's go Team RWBY!" As the ship took off the four women ran out of their dorm, intent on finding their friend before Weiss' father and his men did.

**A/N Yah that was so much easier to write than the last chapter! I already had that scene planned out in my head so that helps. But things are starting to shape up now. Next chapter helps out more. So enjoy that but I'm not giving any hints as to what happens! Ha cliff hanger!**


	11. A Warning - Revised

Ozpin frowned at his scroll. So much for keeping Gwen a secret any longer. The wolf mercenary had literally attacked and killed members of the SDC along with injuring the head of the company. Granted the videos of the incident didn't have any sound to them but Mr. Schnee had already informed the council of who he was after. The headmaster was dealing with the fallout now.

"When I first met Miss Knight she gave her name as Gwen Knight without any hesitation," he stated clearly, in a calm voice. Hopefully the camera wouldn't pick up his knuckle white grip on his coffee mug. "I had no reason to doubt her claim."

"But you said she came from the area of the Kelling compound!"

"And she stated she had a job there as a security detail that went wrong. Have you not read my report on the matter?"

"We have read your report Ozpin and we know there are no Faunus mercenary groups in all of Vale!"

"Registered ones at the very least. Miss Knight explained that if one wanted her team's services they had to dig deep enough to find the name and the contact information. They didn't want to be targeted for being Faunus."

"Surely she must have displayed some displeasure at being put under the care of Weiss Schnee then?"

"Weiss __Belladona __did not provoke Miss Knight in any way. As the mercenary has said she does not believe the acts of an entire group should dictate the acts of one from it. Add in the fact that Miss Belladona declared herself independent from her family and I do believe Miss Knight felt no reason to show any discomfort at her situation."

"Regardless that Kelling girl attacked members of the SDC unprovoked! And she injured the head of the company!"

"The video evidence I have here suggests otherwise. Anyone would become immediately defensive when having five Dust guns trained on them."

"There's also the matter of her aura and what it looks like," one of the other members of the council spoke up. Ozpin felt his frown deepen. Even he didn't know anything about that. "She looks like a humanoid Grimm. And that claymore on her back should not be so easy to wield, even for a woman of her build."

"I'm afraid I know about as much you do on that," the headmaster answered truthfully. He really didn't know anything about that. Only that her tattoos matched the red marks on her armor and her aura would go out of control with intense emotions. "Which is why I have teams of Hunters working to capture her __before __SDC's men get to her as they're likely to kill her."

A long tense silence filled the room. Ozpin waited for the council's decision with annoyance. The group existed for a reason, a good reason. The ones on the council right now were a bunch of stagnant fools though. He could get things done faster without all the legal bull crap.

"Your point has been made Ozpin," a third council member finally said. This one was new and slightly more useful than the rest. "We will contact the head of SDC and tell him to call off his men."

"Under what conditions?" Ozpin asked, curious to what they thought of the ordeal. And it had to be pretty damn good to get Schnee of his hunt.

"That Gwen Kelling is the most stable part-Grimm to date and needs to be questioned about her condition."

"And if it turns out she really isn't part-Grimm?"

"We will deal with that when it comes. Let your teams know they have three days to capture the woman or to drive her out of the kingdom. If she has not be captured or driven off by then lethal force must be used. Good day Ozpin." The call ended.

"Well isn't he a vicious one," Goodwitch growled, moving around the desk. The scroll open in her hands was still connected to a call with Ruby. "Figures the one competent council member is so driven toward violence."

"With the war ending only two years ago I'm not surprised. Did you understand the situation Miss Rose?"

"Yes sir," Ruby answered, expression dark and set. Blake and Yang had similar expressions while Weiss looked paler than normal. "We'll find her. Soon."

"Good luck." The call ended and Ruby turned to her team.

"Alright put yourself in Gwen's shoes. We've all read her journal. What is she doing right now?"

"Running for her life," Yang stated in all but a snapping tone. Ruby nodded, motioning for more. "She's not anywhere familiar though. That puts her at a disadvantage."

"There's a chance the men know the city better than her," Blake continued. "She won't go there. She'll stay in the woods, where the odds are evened just a little."

"Right. So would she stay on the ground or go to the tree branches?"

"On the ground until her legs heal. Then she could get into the trees."

"Grimm," Weiss suddenly said, jolting out of her stupor. The other three tensed. "No not attacking us. Gwen said the men never attacked the Grimm. Only she did. Maybe we can use that to our advantage as well."

"Worth a shot. We need to get to higher ground," Ruby said, nodding her head in agreement.

"We are not flying a giant Nevermore over the forest again."

"I was thinking of climbing into the trees."

"Is that even possible with high heels?" Yang asked as Ruby's scroll beeped. Weiss glared at the blonde as the scythe wielder accepted the call from Jaune.

"Um does Gwen have a claymore?" the man asked from the other end. The entire team paled. Where was their friend?

"Not that I know of," Ruby answered whilst trying to keep her tone believable. "Why do you ask?"

"Because there's a humanoid Grimm in knight armor like hers standing in the middle of the graveyard dedicated to those who lost their lives when the Grimm invaded the city."

"__What?!" __She had gone to the city. She had gone to the place they hadn't expected.

"It hasn't done anything. Just kind of stood there. It's like its waiting for something or someone to get here."

"We'll be there in a bit," Ruby answered and ended the call. She didn't even have to tell the others to move. They all just did so, agreeing that using aura was justified here. They had to get into the city and to the memorial graveyard before anything happened. Gwen's very life could depend on it.

Somewhere in a normal looking house with a normal looking car parked outside a TV flicked on in the basement. The volume was low to avoid hurting sensitive ears. Static filled the screen until a swift kick to the side brought the picture into focus.

"And we're at the memorial graveyard where this dramatic scene is unfolding," the reporter was saying off camera. The picture was focused on the humanoid Grimm in knight armor kneeling before the stone that held the name of everyone that had passed on that day. "We're being held back by police and already there's one team of Hunters here. We've been told that more teams are on the way. What we don't know is how this massive creature got into the city without anyone noticing or what it's doing here."

"You watching the news boss?" The man that came down cringed when he realized that the TV was already on. But the man watching it did nothing, just focused on the reporter. "Nevermind you know already."

The second team of Hunters arrived on scene. Ruby frowned, thinking that this Grimm was too massive in size to be Gwen. Even the markings were different and the helmet didn't have two bumps to accommodate wolf ears. It still held a claymore however and had a cloak draped its shoulders.

"That's probably the same size as the Giant Armor I fought to prove to my father I could go to Beacon," Weiss grumbled under her breath. Her grip on Myrtenaster tightened every so slightly. "How did we miss something so big?"

"I don't think we did," Ruby answered softly. "There's much we don't understand about Gwen's aura. This could be a manifestation of it to provide a distraction for her to escape. Look." She nodded to the tops of the surrounding buildings. Men lined them, all with Dust guns and with snowflakes painted on their right shoulders.

"Well that's great," Yang fumed. Blake only frowned, keeping her eyes trained on the massive Grimm. That had started to stand up.

It easily stood ten feet tall and its massive blade was long enough to stop halfway up the torso. The cloak was barely off the ground. The two teams readied their weapons as the crowd backed up rapidly. For a long moment nothing happened. Then the Grimm spoke.

****"Citizens of Vale! I come today to bring a message! Heed my words now or die later!" ****The voice was dark and rumbled deep from within the Grimm's chest. Everyone shuddered and Yang couldn't help but compare the unnatural chill that had appeared to the same chill Gwen's aura had produced when the wolf unintentionally healed the brawler's hands.

"And what is your message?" Pyrrha called back, taking a brave step forward.

****"Humans repress the Faunus like animals and monsters. Faunus fight for their freedom by breaking the laws. But for every blow you strike against each other we grow stronger."****

"And who are these others you speak of?" The eight Hunters had drawn closer, forming a semi-circle around the Grimm. It made no move to attack, just stood there.

****"My brothers and sisters. The ones you call Grimm. We feed on your anger and hatred. You are dooming yourselves by fighting each other."****

"And why do you warn us? As far as we know the goal of the Grimm is kill off all of us."

****"I warn you. The others do not. They do not know of my presence here. I warn you because I can and because even you foolish petty beings deserve a fair chance."****

"What makes you so certain the Grimm could win an all out war against us?"

****"Because we are united in our cause. Because we do not put another down for being different. Because as one being we can strike fear into the hearts of your species. Species that include the Faunus. What makes you so certain you can defeat us, divided as you are?"****

A thick silence filled the air. The Grimm stood proud and tall, towering over the Hunters. Across the world news stations were streaming the threat. And many were panicking, anticipating an attack at any second. But the eight Hunters there didn't attack. They had no reason to.

****"My message has been delivered," ****the Grimm said. It raised its claymore high into the air. Everyone tensed but the blade came down straight into the ground, driving nearly a foot into it. Both hands gripped the hilt and stone started overtaking the Grimm's armored feet. ****"What will you do with it's knowledge I wonder? Good luck mankind. Good luck." ****And the stone overtook the entire figure, creating a statue that could never be moved. The cloak was pushed to the side dramatically by the wind and the claymore angled slightly in the same direction. Another silence filled the air.

"Search the area," Ruby called out, never taking her gaze of the Grimm statue's eyes. It had been impossible to tell where the creature had been looking without pupils. "Try to find any evidence of how this Grimm got here." As they moved the crowd stirred back life, a loud rush of voices. She turned to the cops. "Get the civilians out of here and tape off the area. Treat this like a crime scene until we know more."

"Hey guys over here!" Yang called, waving her team over. Team JNPR kept searching for signs. "Look. A blood trail."

"It's disappearing like a Grimm's blood."

"We'd better start following it and quick." The four ran after the trail, going around the new statue and behind the name stone.

A black gravestone was situated in the middle of the small clearing. The material was smooth and shined to the point one could see their reflection in it. No words were on it, at least not in a language the Hunters could understand. The blood red letters glowed faintly, the light pulsing like a heartbeat.

Leaning against that stone was a very bloody and unconscious Gwen. Her jeans were tattered and had gaping holes, presumably where the bones had protruded from her legs after taking that jump. The shirt was also torn but not nearly as much as her jeans. It seemed over time and repeated bullets running over it the under armor wore down and allowed the bullets through.

The most concerning thing was the large gash on the wolf's head. It wasn't caused by a bullet; it was too wide of a gap. And the edges were too rough to be a sword. Something with claws had made that wound. A wound that__wasn't __healing.

"Shit Gwen! Hey come on wake up a little." Yang knelt by the wolf's side, desperately trying to stem the weak flow of blood. A small whimper rose into the air. "Why isn't her semblance activating?"

"She probably used too much aura with that jump and losing control," Blake stated softly. Weiss gulped and knelt by her cousin's side. The wolf could very well die right now. "Does anyone have any spare aura we can transfer to her?" No one answered.

"Weiss hit me with something."

"What?!"

"Hitting me activates my semblance! But if I can contain it and redirect that extra energy into Gwen…" Yang trailed off, knowing her idea was a long shot at best. The fencer looked scared and conflicted. "C'mon you're probably the only one here with something that won't cause too much damage. Everyone else has guns. You have Dust."

"Dust is just as dangerous!" Weiss snapped, miffed that it was considered weaker than bullets. Yang groaned and rolled her eyes.

"But it has more control than bullets so do something!"

"Weiss do it," Ruby ordered softly. She wasn't looking at them though. She was looking at the men still on top of the buildings. Her weapon swung through the air and made an obvious threat to them. Blake frowned and pointed Gambol Shroud for more effect. Of course a scythe made a much bigger impression.

Weiss took a deep breath and nodded. She didn't like the idea of beating Yang up. The blonde did that enough to herself by pushing aside her emotions for Blake. But right now it was likely the only thing that would be able to save her cousin. She could see gray matter in some areas of that wound to the wolf's head.

Gritting her teeth she launched Yang into the air with a glyph. Weiss shook her head and focused. More glyphs appeared as the blonde began her descent. She smacked into each one with a dull thud and kept moving down to the ground. There wasn't enough distance between each glyph to do any real damage. At most Yang would be pretty heavily bruised. But it was still giving the fencer a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

__My family is the cause of all this. My immediate family and their damn company. None of this would have happened if we accepted the Faunus for who they are. None of it.__

Yang landed heavily, hair much lighter in color and flaming slightly at the edges. She focused on Gwen, red eyes blazing with anger and concern. The team held its breath as the blonde reached out, trying to direct her aura into the wolf.

Sparks exploded upon the initial contact. Yang shuddered as she felt the extra heat from her activated semblance being rapidly sucked from her person. Golden flames licked across Gwen's chest and curled easily around her neck. When they reached her head wound they settled there, creating a strip of light. The wolf whimpered again and blurry opened her eyes.

"Y-Yang?" she managed to get out. A collective sigh was released into the air. The wolf shuddered and whimpered, trying to shuffle closer to the brawler. "C-cold. So c-cold."

"It's alright I got you Gwen I got. You're safe now." Giving up on trying to hold back the big sister instinct Yang wrapped the wolf into a hug. She ran her fingers gently around the wolf ears, deftly avoiding the healing wound. Gwen whimpered again but this time in relief and closed her eyes.

"Warm." She passed out again as the golden flames died, leaving her torso and legs healed and her head now more of a simple scratch than the gaping gash it had been. Yang slumped with relief and exhaustion, her now lilac eyes struggling to stay open.

"We need to get them both back to the infirmary. Now," Ruby stated. Weiss nodded in agreement while Blake reached for her scroll.

"We already did that Blake," Jaune's voice rang out. Team JNPR walked up, concern clear on their faces. "They going to be okay?" Attention was directed to the two passed out on the ground, one from wounds and the other from overuse of her aura. Ruby held out her hand and Weiss took it, squeezing reassuringly. Something they both needed right now.

"We can only hope."

On one of the rooftops five men in identical uniforms watched the scene unfold through binoculars. The wolf and the blonde were loaded onto the same stretcher after they couldn't be separated from the other. The other seven walked onto the airship under their own power. The SDC men had left when the scythe had been pointed at them. One of the men pulled out a scroll.

"Boss it looks like she's made it to the city. And she's made friends with some Hunters." Across town in a normal looking house with a normal looking car parked outside a TV was off in the basement. And gray eyes opened while a cruel devious smirk played on scarred lips.

"Perfect."

****A/N Copy and paste makes revising stuff so much easier when all you're doing is grammatical stuff.****


	12. Fluff - Revised

The light was too bright. Too damn bright. It hurt her eyes and made her head pound worse than before. Gwen shuffled slightly in her bed, mumbling weak words of pain that made no sense to anyone. Too much pain. What had happened?

"Gwen's up!" The sudden, happy exclamation had her yelping and cowering into a ball, hands clamped tightly over her pointed ears. Ruby paled at the sudden pain her friend was showing.

"It's the aura over use," the doctor said. Whispered actually. Gwen whimpered somewhat in relief then cringed as the rattle of pills in a bottle reached her. "Kind of like a hang over only minus the vomiting and add the factor of not really being able to do anything. Take these." A closed fist bumped her forehead gently. The wolf whimpered as she opened her dual colored eyes only to the bare minimum.

"What are they?" she rasped as in the other cot Yang groaned, starting to wake up herself. The wolf's eyes shot open despite the blinding light and she tried pushing herself up. Weiss pursed her lips and pushed her cousin back down. Ruby flashed over to her sister's side and waited patiently.

"Ugh fuck what did I drink last night?" Yang groaned, trying to sit up. Ruby gently pushed her sister back into a lying position. "Ruby?"

"You over used your aura yesterday Yang," she explained in a low whisper. "Do you remember that?" The blonde blinked owlishly.

"It'll come to me."

"It's common for people to have memory loss involving aura over use," the doctor explained, rattling the pill bottle again. Both afflicted women flinched at the harsh sound. "Here take these. It should help."

"What about hallucinations doc?" Gwen asked, eyeing her own set of pills. The man arched an eyebrow.

"Never heard that before. Of course that could be because of your head wound." Dual colored eyes widened slightly and the wolf hesitantly brushed her fingers against the stitches in her head. She cringed and squirmed in her medical bed. "Take the damn pills girl. Follow your friend's example." Yang had swallowed her medicine dry, earning a soft chastising from her sister.

"What was your hallucination Gwen?" Weiss asked gently. The wolf frowned as she slowly swallowed her own pills, hesitantly drinking the water the doctor had passed over. She shuddered, almost instantly feeling the sleeping part of them take affect.

"It was dark, really dark," the wolf answered in a low mumble. "It started right after I broke the head Snowflake's knee cap." Weiss cringed a little. There would be hell for that later. "Then some weird golden snake thing with legs and a mustache appeared. It chased away that cold and well...I guess I fell asleep after that because I don't remember what happens next."

From her spot Yang slowly processed the words. She had heard those words once before. Snake thing with legs and a mustache was how a little kid explained a Chinese dragon to her. Did Gwen realize just what she was talking about?

"We'll figure it out later. Right now you need to rest." Gwen nodded sleepily and leaned back in her bed, rolling onto the side that her stitches weren't on. She was out almost instantly but her face was still troubled. Pursing her lips Weiss reached out and carefully ran her fingers through her cousin's hair, scratching gently around her pointed ears. The wolf sighed happily and angled her head somewhat to give the shorter whitette a better angle to work from.

"We have to report to Ozpin," Blake reminded the white and red pair of Team RWBY gently. The fencer scowled as Yang tried sitting up again. Ruby glared at her sister, hip cocked and hand resting on it.

"Yang Xiao Long what the hell are you doing?" she demanded in a fierce whisper. Yang cringed and swung her feet out of bed.

"Trying to get to Gwen. You guys need to report to Ozpin and it's clear she needs someone with her right now," the blonde explained. Ruby pouted slightly but knew her sister was right.

"You can do that only if you let Gwen sleeps how she wants to," Blake suddenly said. Attention turned to her.

"Huh?"

"We've only read so much of her diary. It could be possible that the men did capture her once and in that time she became scared of sharing a bed with someone. So if she kicks you out don't try again. If she pulls you into a crushing bear hug don't fight it." Yang looked away, eyebrows drawn together and expression troubled.

"I hadn't thought of that."

"You're heart's in the right place." Ruby smirked for reasons unknown as Yang twitched slightly with embarrassment. The blonde never really blushed they had noticed over the years. "Now come on. Let's get you over there." Blake moved to help her partner over to Gwen's cot, Ruby taking up her sister's other side. Weiss leaned over and quietly explained to Gwen what was going on but the wolf didn't respond in her sleep.

Gwen whimpered when the petting ended as Weiss moved out of the way. Thinking quickly Yang slipped into the bed onto her side and reached up to continue the soothing motion. Blake looked away with annoyance. True Gwen didn't care about little things like this but it still bothered the cat Faunus that people could do these things, even if they weren't applied to her. But the wolf was more attuned to her animal instincts than the ninja so that bore some factor into this whole situation.

"Um okay this is different." The blackette looked up to find Gwen had shifted a little closer to Yang, one arm draped loosely over the blonde's waist. The embrace tight enough to have meaning but loose enough that if she wanted to the brawler could break from it. A light blush decorated the woman's cheeks as she hesitantly rested her hands on the taller woman's shoulders.

"Gwen likes Yang doesn't she?" the cat Faunus mused, watching the pair. Weiss pursed her lips, trying to fight her growing smile, but it was quite obvious the answer was yes. Blake smirked as her partner's blush darkened. Maybe now would be the time to bring up the fact that the ninja knew her brawler friend had feelings for her? Even if it was only to put them to rest and maybe turn the blonde's attention to the wolf.

"We are witnessing a moment in history ladies. Yang Xiao Long is blushing!" Ruby laughed and picked up her partner, spinning the two around delightedly. Weiss gasped and sputtered in anger.

"Ruby Rose put me down _this instant!_" Blake chuckled as the scythe wielder made to do so but tripped over her feet in the process of another spin. The woman was graceful in battle with her weapon. Without? Not a chance in hell.

"Still a major klutz huh Ruby?" Yang jabbed as the pair crashed to the floor. She needed something to get Ruby back for the blushing comment. When she got no response she popped her head above Gwen's shoulder, the motion taking more energy than she expected. "Well damn."

The scene playing out was true Ruby style. She would never work up enough courage to ask Weiss out on an actual date so picking the fencer up and spinning her around then tripping over her feet worked well enough. The two stared at each other in shock, like they couldn't believe their lips were connected in a sloppy, accident kiss. Really with how hyperactive Ruby was at times it was a wonder this hadn't happened before. Then the moment ended with Ruby gaining her senses and starting to babble apologizes a mile a minute, ending the kiss with a soft popping noise.

Weiss took a moment to examine her feelings. Her heart was thumping in her chest and a light blush was decorating her cheeks. She had fallen for Ruby and hadn't even realized it. Then she started thinking of the consequences. Not of the ones she would bring down which wouldn't be anything really. More of her family and the hell her father could bring.

Gwen chose that exact moment to make a small noise in her sleep and nuzzle the blonde's hair weakly in her sleep.

The fencer's eyes light up. The only family she had left was Gwen and in an odd way Blake. Neither of them cared about that. Hell _both _had made assumptions about it, positive assumptions. So there would be no back lash from going out with Ruby. Now to deal with her fearless leader currently trembling beneath her awaiting her death sentence.

_"Shut up and kiss me properly you dolt." _The scythe wielder froze mid-sentence, silver eyes going wide with shock. Weiss could feel the blush glowing on her cheeks.

"O-okay." A shaking hesitant hand reached up and tangled itself in Weiss hair with its other snaked around the fencer's waist. Weiss heart rate shot up and her nerves suddenly hit. She gulped, trying to prepare herself for the second time Ruby's chapped lips would meet her smoother, moisturized ones.

It didn't help at all. The second their lips made contact again their world melted away to feeling and sensing the other. In the hectic life style of being a Huntress peace was hard to find. Wrapped in each other's embrace they had found it. They pulled apart slowly and Weiss couldn't help but stare into Ruby's dazed silver eyes. What were they now?

"Weiss Belladona may I have the honor of calling you my girlfriend?" Ruby asked in a hushed whisper, intertwining their fingers. Weiss smiled back and squeezed the digits in hers.

"The honor is all mine Ruby Rose," she answered. The scythe wielder smiled and kissed her girlfriend again, humming in content.

"Never thought I'd be the fifth wheel. You two can get off the floor anytime you know," Yang chuckled, breaking the moment. Right the floor. They were still on it. Blushing and glaring they got to their feet, hands still held in each other's. Blake shook her head and ushered the new couple out the door, telling the blonde to get some sleep in the process. Yang assured her team that she would but first she needed to think.

The idea that Gwen liked her caused something to twist around in her gut and make her heart jump into her throat. Yang wasn't dumb. She recognized it from when she first fell for Blake, back before Sun had come into the picture. But she still had feelings for the cat Faunus. Was it even possible to like two people at once in the same way? Wait that was what love triangles were for. Nevermind.

What didn't help was the warm alien embrace she was in. Yang was used to being the protector, the holder, the comforter. Not being the one being protected, held, and comforted. It felt odd but not in a bad way or a good way either. Just confusing. She sighed and closed her eyes. Things would look better after she had gotten some sleep. In this warm, alien embrace.

**A/N So as I was revising the story again I accidentally uploaded the previous chapter into this slot and had to rewrite it all. I tried to get it as close to the original as possible but there are some major differences. It would be too difficult to try and get it to a point though. Hope you all like this unintentional rewrite though! **


	13. Dealing With the Soul - Revised

"__I have a soul!" __Gwen bared her teeth at the council, ears flattened against her head. Her aura was pooling at her feet and starting to creep up her legs. The men cowered and their guards raised their weapons. From her spot on the sidelines Weiss sucked in a breath and tightened her grip on Myrtenaster. It took all her self control to keep from jumping to her cousin's side.

"And what do you mean by that Miss Kelling?" one of the council members said, gulping with nerves. A low growl echoed into the air as the wolf straightened to her full height, making her tower easily over everyone in the room.

"I have emotions and feelings just like you. I can think and plan just like you. I have a damn fucking soul like you. Grimm do not. I can not be a mentally stable part Grimm. There's no such thing. Grimm have no soul. You can't be with a soul and without a soul at the same time. So take your idea and __shove it!__"

A long thick silence filled the room the group was in. No one hardly dared to breathe. Yang eyed the wolf cautiously. She was still trying to figure out if Gwen really did truly like her. It would certainly explain why she couldn't meet the blonde's eyes without her ears turning a brilliant painful red.

The brawler shivered and rubbed her arms. The alien protective embrace still lingered in her mind, making her shudder. With unease or anticipation she had no idea. Yang wanted to be in that embrace again and didn't want to at the same time. She didn't want to appear weak to anyone.

"You're saying that it's physically impossible to be part Grimm and be mentally stable then," Ozpin conclude, taking a sip from his mug. Gwen scowled and nodded. "Do you have any evidence to back that up?"

"Do you have any evidence to back up your claim of thinking I'm part Grimm?" the wolf shot back. The headmaster frowned and shook his head. "Then I bid you good day and safe journeys back to your realms of stupidity." Gwen turned sharply on her heel and marched out of the room, scowl on her face. A nod from Ozpin sent Team RWBY after the irritated wolf.

"Do you think she's right about the part Grimm thing and souls?" Ruby asked as they hurried after their friend.

"It's got a lot of sense to it," Blake answered as Weiss nodded furiously. Yang said nothing, still trying to work out her own situation. "How far did she even get? We left right after her!"

"Oh my fucking Dust Winchester you're such a fucking idiot!"

"Found, one irritated wolf," Yang mumbled as the team turned the corner. Gwen had Cardin pinned against the wall. The man's weapon was on the floor between them and his teammates were on the floor groaning in pain. Smoky black aura wrapped around their limbs, keeping them from doing anything.

"No one fucking cares what the fuck you do Winchester! You're literally fucking nothing in this world! Do you hear me?! Nothing! All you are is a background voice screaming out shit no one cares to hear! Do something with your life for once you ass!" Snarling with disgust Gwen slammed her free fist into the man's jaw, cracking something. Blood spewed out as teeth cut lip but she was already storming away, ears flattened angrily against her head. Cardin joined his team on the ground, looking absolutely stunned.

"Gwen wait up!" Weiss called, hurriedly rushing past Team CRDL. The wolf paused, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. Yang glowed a little with pride at seeing the bruise already forming on Cardin's jaw. She had taught the wolf to punch like that.

"Does the public even realize some of the stupid ass decisions the council makes?" Gwen ground out, rubbing her temples. Weiss smiled sadly and shook her head. "Then why the hell are there even politics if the people don't get an actual say in them?!"

"That's a question to ponder another time Gwen. Right now you need to calm down and change your clothes. You're still wearing the torn stuff from yesterday." Instantly the wolf changed demeanor, looking away sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head. Yang's lilac eyes traced the newest scar on Gwen's head out of habit. The blonde had done that a lot in the hour she had been awake and Gwen hadn't.

"I had forgotten about that," Gwen sighed. Weiss smiled understandingly and gently pushed her cousin toward the dorms. "Oh right! Can I call you cus now?" The shorter whitette stared at the bouncing taller whitette like she was crazy.

"Where in Dust did you get that from?"

"From a book Blake recommended! Can I can I? Please?" Weiss shot the cat Faunus a glare. Blake only smirked and arched an eyebrow. Ruby chuckled and squeezed her girlfriend's hand. "Weiss please?" Gwen's voice was a low whine, just like a puppy begging for attention.

"Oh alright!" the fencer sighed, rubbing her forehead. Gwen cheered and bounced around some more. "Just don't over use the word!"

"Right right! Thank you Weiss!" Considerable much happier than just a few moments ago Gwen scampered after some falling leaves, trying to catch them. Weiss stared at her.

"I feel like I just told a little kid they had an unlimited shopping spree in a candy store," she muttered. Ruby perked up. "__Don't __even think about it. I don't want to know what you're like on a sugar high." The scythe wielder pouted as Yang shivered in horror.

"Good call princess," the brawler said with a slightly terrified smile. Ruby pouted further. Weiss rolled her eyes, mentally wondering why she had to put up with two puppies in human form. At least Zwei was a legit dog.

"You have a tail!" Gwen's shocked shout caught the attention of the four women. Yang flinched as Sun came into view, staring at the wolf like she was crazy. That was happening a lot lately.

"That's right they haven't met yet," Blake mused, quickly striding over to her boyfriend's side. Gwen's ear flicked toward the other Faunus and she perked up.

"Blake Blake he's got a tail! That's so cool!"

"Blake what's going on?" Yang chuckled at Sun's slightly terrified and confused tone.

"Let the puppy play with your tail Sun," she chuckled, reaching up and ruffling Gwen's hair. The wolf choked and blushed, looking away sheepishly.

"I'm not a puppy," she mumbled, folding her arms and pouting. Yang chuckled, a sound that prompted Gwen to shoot the blonde one of the special half grins that exposed her blood red fangs. __Damn it's nice to see that. She's got to be really at ease to do that now cuz those things look a lot like Grimm fangs.__

"Gwen this is Sun Wukong my boyfriend. Sun this is Gwen Kelling, the mercenary I told you about," Blake explained with a sigh. Gwen tilted her head as Sun processed what was said.

"Wait...Kelling? As in the Kelling Dust Company?" Sun asked, narrowing his eyes. Gwen nodded with a sheepish grin. The blonde man struggled for words, eye twitching slightly. "But you look like a Schnee!" Instantly his hands snapped over his mouth.

"Papa was a Schnee," the wolf answered quietly with a sad smile. She didn't say anything more as Sun dropped his hands looking guilty. Yang pursed her lips, contemplating whether or not to reach over and squeeze Gwen's hand. Weiss beat her to the punch. Gwen shot her cousin a grateful smile. "It's why the whole one sided rivalry began anyway." Sun said nothing, looking guilty and confused. "Don't worry about it Sun. This mess'll get sorted out eventually."

"Hopefully soon," Ruby stated, narrowing her eyes. "That Grimm from yesterday did say that the monsters would attack if we didn't get our acts together."

"You guys understood a Grimm speaking?" Gwen answered, frowning. As far as she knew Grimm only ever growled, snarled, howled, and roared.

"It spoke in our language."

"What?!" Blake pulled out her scroll and handed it over to the wolf. Gwen watched the video playing intently, eyes narrowed and tracing the red markings on the armor. A frown played at her lips.

__Messenger of lies. What does that mean? What is it lying about? I've never heard of any mass Grimm gathering to attack any of the major kingdoms. And only because the humans and Faunus don't like each other? Really? I could think of a dozen other reasons why the Grimm would want to attack us, mainly oh I don't know, we have ___**_**souls**_**___! What is going on?__

"A lot of people are taking this threat seriously," Sun started explaining. Gwen tilted her head, handing Blake back her scroll. "There's a lot of court cases being reviewed where Faunus were wrongly accused and convicted. And people who are anti-Faunus are finally being punished by the law."

"That's not really going to change things in the long run," Blake grumbled, glaring off into the distance.

"Well it's only the day after the threat was made. Maybe things'll be different tomorrow."

"Maybe."

"Aw lighten up Blake!" Yang encouraged with a grin. The cat Faunus shot the blonde a glare. "Think positive!" Throwing an arm around her friend's shoulders the brawler continued to grin but it pained her to do so. Gwen frowned slightly but said nothing. __There is no attack. The knight lied. It's a messenger of lies. But how did it even form? Who powered it? __The wolf didn't voice her thoughts as she trailed after her cousin back to the dorm room. Around her the team plus Sun were chatting and laughing although Yang seemed to be in pain slightly. Gwen could only wonder at that and it did hurt her a little too. She didn't want the blonde to be hurt.

"You two had better not do anything on that couch," Yang warned, shooting the new couple a playful glare. Ruby turned beat red as Weiss started sputtering in anger. "Other people have to sit there you know."

"Yaaaannnngggg!" Gwen flinched and rubbed one her pointed ears.

"And I have to __sleep __there," she added, reaching for the duffel bag that contained her clothes. A silence fell, almost unnerving in its thickness. The wolf twitched and looked up to see contemplating gazes. "What?"

"Well Weiss and Ruby sleep together at night already," Blake said slowly. Beside her Sun stared in shock.

"And since they're now a couple that could be cause for concern," Yang added. Another Amber Death Glare was shot her way.

"If Weiss moves in with Ruby-"

"-you could take the room and actually sleep in a bed!"

"That does seem like a good idea," Weiss stated calmly despite her intense glare at the blonde. Ruby had her face buried into her girlfriend's shoulder trying to hide her blush of embarrassment. "Although Ruby would have to condense her weapons parts a little."

"That's easy," came the muffled reply. "Dealing with Yang isn't." Gwen shook her head and went to change into a fresh set of clothes while Yang and Ruby endlessly teased each other. Weiss sat caught in the middle, her face in her hand, while Blake watched with amusement off to the side. Sun was just confused.

The beep of a scroll interrupted the argument. Ruby frowned, wondering what Ozpin wanted now. If the council so much as thought about trying to press the issue of Gwen being part-Grimm then all hell would break loose.

The video that popped up wasn't of Ozpin's face. This video was wrapped in shadows but it was easy to tell that the person was wearing a mask. The mask was full faced and bone white, with red markings. Like a Grimm mask. Ruby paled and motioned for Blake to come over.

"Do you know who that is?" she asked in a whisper, pointing to the video. The cat Faunus frowned and took the scroll for closer examination. Gwen wandered back in, unnerved by the silence.

"He's a high ranking member at the very least," the former White Fang member mumbled, glaring at the screen. Weiss stiffened slightly but said nothing. She had come to terms with that not every Faunus was as blood thirsty and terrifying as the terrorists. The terrorists in general still got her angry though. "Gwen do you know what the markings mean?"

"That one there is flight," she answered, pointing to the mark painted over the left eye. It looked to be the most complex of the markings. "The rest is utter gibberish."

"You're sure?"

"As much as I can be without seeing it in real life. Some details the video won't pick up. Let's play the video though. Ozpin sent it our way for a reason." Blake nodded and handed Ruby back her scroll. The team plus Gwen and Sun crowded around. The monkey Faunus made sure to keep his tail out of the wolf's reach.

__"Greetings Hunters of Beacon," __the man in the video greeted. The tone of his voice caused a collective shudder. It was cold and manipulating, an ice to Cinder's fire. Gwen frowned, thinking the voice sounded oddly familiar. __"It is unfortunate that I call on such matters but you have...someone of value to me and my brethren. A little wolf by the name of Gwen Maria Kelling." __Shocked and surprised gazes flickered to the woman. The wolf was staring open mouthed at the scroll, disbelief in her eyes that glittered with tears. __"And I have something of value to you. An escape artist who never says a word." __The image flickered to a tied up Neo who looked knocked out. Big bulky cuffs encircled her wrists and ankles and two White Fang members flanked the chair she was tied to. __"We're testing a new cuff design on her. It's meant to stop someone from using their semblance and their aura. So far it's working perfectly." __The tone had changed briefly to a cruel happy. The next time the man spoke it was back to calculating ice. __"We are located at Mountain Glenn. Miss Kelling is allowed to bring one person with her to take control of Miss Neo. After that there will be no further...peaceful contact. You have one week to respond. Good day Hunters." __The video ended, leaving the group in silence.

Gwen was shaking with her head bowed. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides while tears dripped to the floor below. Everyone watched her, wondering at the reaction.

Slowly the wolf lifted her head. Her expression was twisted with anger and hurt, bared teeth with tearful eyes. The right eye had full colored red again, glowing harshly. Pointed ears were flattened against her head and her hands had loosened from fists to spread in a claw like formation. Yang shivered again, surprised by the display. Gwen was usually so very cheerful, despite her upbringing.

"Let's show my dear older brother we don't play by the rules set by terrorists," she snarled. But it was in a dual tone, one her normal voice and the other deeper and darker. Like how it sounded coming from her aura helmet. Everyone present shivered before they realized what she had said.

"That was your brother?!" The grin was dark, amused, and pained.

"Who else would have the Grimm mark for flight on their mask and know my middle name?"

**A/N I feel like it's the middle of the month already and I only know I think that because I'm writing so much and winter break is coming up soon too. Hooray for the holidays! But little side note here. I won't be doing a whole Christmas oneshot of Team RWBY cuz well we don't know if that's a thing in the world of Remnant. I will however do a New Year's one cuz well New Year's. All calendars celebrate it...I think. There's a lot of religions and cultures out there. I'm never going to know them all. Plus New Year's is so much more fun to write in my opinion. So uh yah. Not sure if I'll actually do that yet. -hides under my hood-**


	14. Plans Gone Wrong - Revised

Gwen sighed and rubbed her temples as they came upon the sight of the abandoned city. In the middle of the night details were hard to make out as shadows danced around gleefully. Beside her Blake tensed, unbound ears flicking nervously.

The group had decided that two Faunus would be better trusted than a half-Faunus and a human. Of course they were also betting on the fact most of the White Fang didn't know Gwen was a half-Faunus. The other members of the team were creeping in from different directions. Atlas had gladly lent one of its old spy ships that had been developed during the war. A fly by with heat sensors had revealed that the meeting place was in the central building to the old city. What was the town hall. It had also revealed that main street was the heaviest guarded. That was what Blake and Gwen were walking on now.

"I don't care who's pointing the gun," Gwen growled softly. "It still sets me on edge." Blake shot the wolf a sympathetic glance and continued on. She too could feel the gazes and knew they were connected to people with guns. But no one did anything. The pair were able to continue onward toward the town hall.

"It'll be over soon," the cat Faunus answered under her breath. Gwen didn't react but she knew what the shorter woman was talking about.

They weren't playing by the rules. Gwen had told them of all the traps James had set up and his bitterness towards humans. He wasn't to be trusted at all. So despite the two being siblings she said they were going to do things differently.

Once the pair were in the town hall and made sure Neo was actually there Gwen would start an argument with one of the members there. Arguments meant her aura would seep from her control. But she would still be in control. Given the now video footage of it being out of her control she could mimic the loss. In the distraction the other three of Team RWBY would sneak in. Ruby and Weiss were to provide more distractions to drag away the extra guards while Yang secured Neo. Once that was complete Blake would act surprised, saying that Neo had indeed escaped using her semblance. She'd question the actual worth of the cuffs, throwing in more confusion. Without Neo both Faunus were free to go back to Beacon.

This entire plan hinged on Neo actually being there and this not being a trap in the making.

Gwen stopped and studied the town hall. There were multiple points of entry for the other three to get into the building without being seen. The wind covered any noise they would make. All was going well so far. Clenching her jaw the wolf continued on, ears perked forward. Her aura was pooling around her feet, slowly starting to creep up her legs. Blake put a hand on her weapon out of habit.

"See boys I'd told you they'd come," a voice said in amusement. It was the same voice from the video. Gwen made a small noise and bared her teeth at the shadowed figure. "Now now Gwen is that anyway to treat your older brother?"

"I know what you've changed the White Fang to James," she answered in a snarl. It was impossible to tell what the man was thinking behind his mask. "Don't patronize me about right from wrong. Where's Neo?"

"Relax my little sister. We haven't seen each other in a month. We need to catch up."

"We'll have all the time in the world after the exchange. Where is Neo?"

"Well being with the Hunters certainly has changed your attitude," the man said, stepping into the light. Blake studied him, making note of the gray color scheme. It was a common trait amongst Kellings.

Long gray hair was tied back into a ponytail and amused gray eyes glittered from the mask. James wore a black wool trench coat with a popped collar over a gray button paired with a lighter gray tie. Dark gray suit sleeves poked from the ends of the trench coat that had a matching set of pants. Blake was pretty sure slits were cut into the back of the outfit to allow for the man's wings to be used.

"And leaving me for a month has revealed your true colors James," Gwen shot back, stalking up to her brother. Her right eye had bled to entirely red again. "I'll ask again. Where. Is. Neo?" She glared down at him, lips frowning but also tugging and twitching. Like she wanted to snarl but was fighting that instinct.

"Bring our guest out boys." There a low grunt of affirmative off to the left. The three waited, Blake watching from the shadows with narrowed amber eyes.

Neo looked a little worse for wear. Bruises decorated her skin and her clothes were tattered. The cuffs were still in place, making it difficult for the rather short woman to walk. Two White Fang members gripped her arms, securing Neo between them.

"I must admit it was rather difficult to catch her," James said, gliding over. "Neo is a very talented escape artist. But a little distraction and a small sleeping dart does wonders. Isn't that right my dear?" He grabbed his chin, yanking her head up.

Gwen sucked in a quick breath as the woman's face was revealed. A cut along her cheek weakly leaked blood along her skin. More blood dribbled from her nose and there was bruising around her left eye but not really enough to hinder sight. White, fearful eyes danced around the room. They landed on the wolf and widened slightly.

Blake frowned as Neo's lips formed Gwen's name but didn't say it. Pointed ears perked forward and the wolf let out a small whimper that morphed into a snarl. James watched with amusement.

"So you two do remember each other. I was under the impression you hit your head too many times to remember anything before the attack."

"I remember plenty James. How could you do this to her?"

"Simple. She's human. When I signed a deal with Cinder it was because she had Roman under thumb and he had Natalia. Humans are disgusting creatures, thinking they're so much better than us."

"You had a crush on her when we were little and I thought boys had cooties!" Blake's eyebrows shot up. Well that complicated things significantly.

"So? We use the weak to only better ourselves. Natalia is weak. I am strong. Have you forgotten my teachings dear sister?" Gwen bowed her head, shaking with rage. James patted Neo's cut cheek gently before gliding back over. "Or has being with the Hunters filled your head with nonsense morals of everyone being treated equal?" The tone was taunting and smug. He had moved close enough to look at his sister's hidden face. And he didn't need to bend slightly to do so.

A low growl rumbling through the air was the only warning Gwen was losing control. Her hand fisted itself into her brother's coat before she threw him clear across the room. Blake scowled and shot the two men dead before bounding over and catching Neo before she could hit the ground. The flap of wings caused the escape artist to cringe.

James had snapped out his wings, causing the toss to be completely harmless. Gwen was watching him as her aura armor rapidly formed over her body. The low growl was morphing, becoming deeper and darker. It sounded more like a Beowolf growl now than her normal growl. Blake shivered and stood, keeping Neo secure. But the escape artist was staring wide eyed at the two siblings with white fear.

"You still have that blasted aura," the man mused, landing. He pulled a sword Blake hadn't seen and settled into a basic defensive stance. Gwen responded in kind by leveling her own blade, now a simple double edged sword, at him. "But no matter. I know your weak spots."

_**_**"You know nothing about me." **_**_Gwen's voice was dual toned. One layer was her normal voice through the helmet. The other layer was the same voice that had boomed from the Grimm knight just two days ago. Neo shivered and looked to Blake for an explanation.

"I have no idea," the cat Faunus mumbled, turning away. Gwen was creating a distraction which was the plan. But Blake didn't know if she was actually in control or not.

The two siblings sprang at each other, intent unknown. There might have been some bond buried beneath all the hate and hurt that would keep them from killing each other. Gwen lashed out first, her unusual height giving her extra reach. But James had his wings and merely snapped them out to gain about ten feet off the ground.

"What's going on Blake?" Weiss asked, coming up. Beside her Ruby scanned the area, looking for more threats. The cat Faunus pursed her lips and shook her head.

"James said things to piss her off. I don't think he knows we're here yet." The same nails on chalkboard sound from the aura control class filled the air. The four women flinched and Neo turned away from watching the fight. She had known the two when they were all little, before her 'uncle' Roman had taken her away to see if he could something about her underdeveloped vocal cords. In short he hadn't and she had been dragged into his criminal world. She had never expected the siblings could fight like this.

"Team JNPR has the tank outside. We need to get going." That was the other part of the plan. Team JNPR would come barreling through the city in a tank that the others would board and they would all escape on. Blake hadn't heard it coming up, even though it was likely Nora was at the cannon controls.

"What about Yang and Gwen?" Weiss frowned and looked over at her cousin, worry clear in her posture and expression. Across the room James and Gwen kept clashing blades, dancing around each other in a way that never allowed them to get any sort of direct hit. The man's flight abilities negated the woman's extended reach. It was a stalemate.

"They'll figure it out," the fencer finally said. "Let's get Neo out of here and into the tank. Then we'll come back for those two." Blake nodded and stood, lifting the smaller woman in her arms with ease. It was startling how light she actually was.

Up on her section of the top floor Yang couldn't really see anything. The angle of the hole through the floor to the bottom floor's ceiling made it impossible. But she could hear just fine and all she heard was a fight. There wasn't any other sounds of distractions so she waited. They had hoped the plan would be a quick action one but that didn't seem to be the case.

Due to the fact she wasn't a Faunus Yang didn't hear the pair creeping on her. One held a sniper rifle while the other held a briefcase. They opened the briefcase carefully, slowly, making sure to not make any sounds. The one holding the rifle pulled a bullet from the padding and loaded it into his gun. All his movements were slow and precise. He raised it up, tucking the butt into the pocket of his shoulder and used the iron sights to aim the gun at Yang's leg.

Yang's instincts told her she was being watched so she jerked to the side as a soft depression of air was heard in the odd stillness that had suddenly fallen. The fight below had come to a sudden stop with a startled yelp from Gwen. It pained the blonde to hear that, more than she had thought it would. Maybe __she __was falling for Gwen and not the other way around?

Springing up Yang launched a punch at the man charging at her. He had flipped the rifle around, using the butt like a club. Laughing to herself the blonde danced just barely out of reach. A light hit from the gun would activate her semblance and give her an extra boost of power. If of course the butt of the gun hadn't included another dart like the one embedded into the ground where she had been laying.

"You're the first to let yourself get hit," the man mused, watching Yang crumple. She gasped and pulled out the loaded syringe, mentally cursing for being so cocky. Already the drug was in her system, shutting down for a forced nap.

"Ass," she grunted, collapsing to the ground with a light snore. The man wrinkled his nose and walked over, pulling out a pair of basic cuffs. The other man took the two syringes from their spots and loaded them back into the briefcase.

"Sounds like the boss got his sister."

"Mmm but that tank outside is trouble. Three other Hunters took Neo into it."

"They'll be back. We've got one of them and the Hunters are pretty close to each other. Lots of siblings will go together as well."

"True true. Do you think the boss and his sister would have been Hunters if they hadn't been attacked by the SDC?"

"At least one of us would have," James answered, flying through the hole in the floor. Little cuts and tears decorated his clothing and he looked miffed about it. The two men snapped to attention as the man bent to examine the sleeping Yang. "Most likely me as our fighting style relies heavily on the ability to fly. Good job getting this one."

"Thank you sir!" the pair coursed as one. James stood and brushed off his hands.

"Get her to the airship. We're leaving this place and going some place special."

"Special sir?" one of the men echoed. James smiled beneath his mask.

"Yes. A place they won't think to look. Load her up and let the others know we're leaving." James turned and exited via the hole again. He swooped down across the floor then landed like a bird would on a tree branch. His forward motion kept up though and the man walked forward, blending the motion of flying and walking together with ease.

The door to the outside opened and Blake, Ruby, and Weiss walked in. Upon spotting James in the middle of the room they stopped being cautious. Ruby glared and stalked forward to meet him in the single patch of light in the entire room. They stood about the same height.

"You didn't play by the rules," James prompted. His tone was offended and hurt.

"We played by our rules. You played by yours. Unfortunately they didn't quite match," Ruby answered with a slight smirk.

"Well said little Huntress. I might actually use that in the future."

"Where's Gwen?"

"Why with me of course. The deal still plays. You get Neo I get my sister. Altho I do suppose you want your friend back." He held up Yang's scarf to examine it. Ruby stiffened in shock and anger. "Oh yes we did find her. Sleeping darts are a marvelous thing. It's a wonder that you don't use them. I suppose you want to kill us all."

"What are you saying?!" The scythe wielder was shaking with rage.

"I'm saying more damage can be done with hostages than with dead victims." Ruby lunged, causing shocked and worried shouts from her friends. A gunshot and short pained yell answered them.

James staggered away holding his shoulder. Ruby grinned victoriously despite the fact the man's blade was through her hand and her upper leg. She leaned heavily on the gun form of Crescent Rose as Weiss and Blake came running up.

"This isn't over," the winged Faunus spat before snapping out his wings and flying away. Blake noted that he wasn't flying with the grace and precision of before. In fact she was pretty sure he collapsed once he was out of sight from the Huntresses.

"Ruby Rose what were you thinking?!" Weiss growled, carefully pulling out the blade. Ruby grimaced and ground her teeth. The fencer tore of strips of her skirt and wrapped them around her girlfriend's wounds. "Well?!"

"I've been working on a tracer bullet," she answered, voice tight with pain. "The bullet head is actually the tracer and once its in your system it takes a little of your blood to be powered. The head is designed to be unremovable without the use of a special key. You try to remove it without the key and you'll rip out a part of your muscles, veins, or organs, depending on where the bullet hit."

"And it actually works?" Weiss breathed, helping Ruby to her feet carefully. Blake stepped to the woman's other side, carrying James' blade. Ruby gave a proud grin and nodded.

"I've only tested it on Grimm though. This the first time I've used it on a sentient being." They had made it back into the tank. Pyrrha hurried over with the first aid kit as Weiss was too busy being shocked and proud.

"How do you track the signal?" Blake asked, taking some of the basic supplies. Neo flinched and cowered in her seat. Without her escape powers she was defenseless. The cat Faunus frowned. "Relax I'm not going to hurt you."

"I modified my arm guard to have the same functions as a military scroll. The signal is tied into that." Weiss cringed at that. When they had discovered Cinder was right in their midst all along the woman had created a rather fiery distraction to escape. Stubborn determination had led Ruby to charge after the woman recklessly. The fire had wrapped around her right arm, taking away some of the muscles and tendons. With Penny's help the arm guard had been created, thus making it possible for Ruby to still have full use of her arm.

"You modified it? That's so cool!" Nora was a cheerful as ever. No one was quite sure how she did it.

"When did you do this?" Weiss asked in a whisper. Beneath them the tank rumbled to life. Neo flinched again and Blake sighed.

"About three months ago," Ruby answered sheepishly. She wasn't sure if Weiss was angry or just shocked.

"How long did it take you to make the tracers?"

"Oh those? I developed those during the war. I tracked them with my actual scroll then. By the time I got the design to work the war had ended. Thanks Pyrrha."

"You're welcome Ruby," the Amazonian answered with a tight smile. She turned her attention to Blake and Neo. "Need some help?"

"I need to beat the fools who made her scared," Blake grumbled. Pyrrha eyed the escape artist and shook her head. All hell was going to break loose one day. Neo didn't look at them, watching the interactions of Weiss and Ruby instead.

Weiss had carefully leaned over and kissed Ruby full on the lips. The scythe wielder sighed happily and returned it, wrapping her arms around the fencer. Neo shivered and looked away. She hadn't thought the people they went up against in the war interacted like that. Roman had limited her views, showing her only the bad, and made her hate and fear those in power. She should have applied that last one to her 'allies'.

"How? How could you present such a childish front before?" Weiss muttered, pulling back. "You could have used your knowledge and expertise as a front."

"It wasn't me," Ruby answered softly. "The deeper you get into the world of weapon making the more corrupted people are. They only want things to hurt our enemies. I want to help people. I've always wanted to. Plus using my knowledge as a front would mean I'd have to mingle with people who are smart in everything. I'm just exceptionally skilled in weapons design."

"Ruby Rose you have __got __to be one the strangest people I've ever known." Weiss sighed and slid into the seat beside her girlfriend, linking their fingers together. The scythe wielder grinned and rested her head on the fencer's shoulder.

Neo flinched as the disinfectant liquid hit the cut on her cheek. She scowled at Pyrrha but didn't fight it. She knew they didn't like her, hell Yang hated her guts with a burning passion (and she would too, if she got her ass handed to her), but was surprised they were treating her so well. Maybe being a victim of torture applied to that.

A basic scroll was pressed into her hands. The escape artist looked down at it then up to Blake. An arched eyebrow replied to her unspoken question.

"We have questions, you have answers," the cat Faunus said, sitting down. Neo heaved a sigh and motioned to the bulky cuffs on her wrists. Maybe if she could get these off she could get out of here. "No we'll leave those on for now, until we get back to Beacon. There's a room there that does the same thing as the cuffs. What's your real name?" Another sigh.

"__My real name is Natalia Yash. I'm actually adopted to a family of Faunus that lived in the Kelling village. Both my blood parents were alcoholics which is why I can't speak and why I'm so short. It's only because of the doctors that I'm like this. I was probably going to be much worse without their intervention. Roman Torchwick wanted to see if the myth about different auras being introduced to a baby's system during development in the womb gave the child multiple semblances. He posed as my uncle and said he knew a man that could fix my vocal cords so I could speak. Guess where that led?"__

"And your relationship with Gwen and James?"

"__Gwen and I were best friends. James as you know is her older brother. He had a crush on me but he always struck me the wrong way. Even when we were little he was a jerk. Gwen was much happier and carefree though."__

"When did Roman take you from the village?"

"__Three days before the attack. I remember watching the news about it." __Neo shivered and looked away, fighting back her tears. Back then she had thought her friend was dead. Now Gwen was dead in a different way. She didn't know if the wolf would ever be so carefree and happy again.

"And after that? What did Roman teach you?"

"__He limited my view of the world. It was always the bad, mainly about how human Faunus sympathizers were beaten and killed by other humans. I didn't learn that the victims were Faunus sympathizers until much later though. He also had me learning to fight at a young age. Because of my height he focused on dodging and such. Even a solid defense from me could send me toppling over if someone say your height attacked me."__

"And you never once questioned any of the views?"

"__No. Not until we joined forces with Cinder and the White Fang. I spent a lot of time with members of the White Fang who weren't totally against humans. They taught me about right and wrong. They were killed in the first wave of the war though. Thrown into the front lines by James because they lacked the resolve to destroy all humans the others had."__

Ruby shook her head and sighed. Neo's story complicated things a lot when it came to dealing with her. And they still had to find Gwen and Yang. The woman checked the screen on her arm guard. The tracer was working perfectly, going in the opposite direction they were and with the altitude of an airship. She frowned. How had they missed that?

"We've got a message from Ozpin," Weiss said, tapping Ruby's scroll to accept the call. It was another video from James. The white bandages around his shoulder were clear even through the shadows.

"You win this round Hunters," the man in the video snapped. Neo flinched and cowered in her seat. "But I have one of you. Find me if you can." The screen flickered to Yang cuffed to a seat in an airship. Her head was bowed but other than that she seemed uninjured. Then the video went blank.

****A/N I'm literally just revising such small things that you can't even notice them at a quick glance. Yah that's me. Enjoy.****


	15. I Won't Let Them Hurt You - Revised

****TRIGGER WARNING: TORTURE****

Gwen moaned as rough hands grabbed her arms, coming too slowly. Everything sounded muffled and sluggish. She let out a small whimper and peeled her eyes open. Already her ears were picking up the by now familiar sound of an airship, dying down. Her nose twitched with all the unfamiliar scents and she coughed once because of some of the odors.

"Hey boss she's waking up," a voice said startling close. She jerked her head around and managed to get her right eye open.

"What?!" The coppery tang of blood followed her brother's scent as the man stormed over. She snarled weakly at him. He had his mask off, showing the angry shocked expression.

"You looked better with the mask," Gwen coughed out. James fumed with anger. She grinned brokenly and looked around. "This is the home base of the SDC men that always chased us."

"You remembered."

"Of course. I wrote it down. Just like you told me to James."

"At least you listened to something I've said. Get them tied up and call Marcus. Tell him he's got some playthings."

__Them? __Gwen strained her neck until she spotted the yellow blob in the crowd of gray. __Shit Yang. They must have hit her with a sleeping dart too. __The wolf cringed and allowed herself to be dragged along. __This is all my fault. If I hadn't lost control earlier...__

They were dragged into a damp, blood stained room. In the corner was a body wearing the armor of SDC. Gwen shivered and scowled as the two were chained to the wall. Yang was still asleep as they were left in silence, the body being carried out.

The door creaked open ten minutes later. An older man entered, carrying a toolbox. Two White Fang members flanked him. Marcus put down his tool box and walked over to examine his two newest victims.

"Interesting, interesting. Marcus did not expect one to be awake. Interesting, interesting." His voice was high and reedy, barely more than a mouse squeak. "Who to torture first? Mmm decisions, decisions. Marcus decides to wake the sleepy one."

"Like hell you will," Gwen growled, straining against the cuffs drilled into the wall. Marcus only hummed, pulling a whip from the toolbox. "Hey! Listen to me you ass!"

"Marcus is listening. Marcus doesn't care."

"Bastard! I won't let you hurt her!"

"Oh oh oh attachment! Marcus can have lots of fun with mental torture!" Gwen snarled and tugged at the cuffs. A faint cracking noise could be heard. The mouse Faunus only continued his happy little hum, stroking the whip lovingly. "Yes yes lots of fun. And away we go!" He flicked the whip back easily and prepared to lash it at Yang.

Three cracks sounded in the air. One was the crack of the whip lashing through the air, headed for the still asleep blonde. The other two were the sickening crunch of bones breaking. Gwen snarled in pain as her wrists snapped with the force she tugged against the cuffs. It was still enough to get her free and she bolted in front of the defenseless brawler. The White Fang members reacted instantly. Two gunshots echoed in the small room and the whip made a dull thud as it contacted with skin.

"Marcus thinks you're stubborn," the mouse Faunus frowned. His tugged at the whip, tightening it around Gwen's neck. The wolf sputtered and gasped for air, struggling to stand with a bullet in each knee. She bared her teeth, right eye entirely red, as she clawed at the leather wrapped around her neck. "But he will grant your petty desire. Chain her up protecting the sleeping one. And have her back to me." An expert flick had the whip cracking back into Marcus' hands and he watched with a frown as the two White Fang members did as told.

Gwen snarled and snapped at the two men but didn't fight them. Apart from being in the old area she didn't know anything. She didn't know if James had set up more traps, if the SDC had set up another base, if the Grimm had started to take over...And she wouldn't leave Yang. The wolf wanted to protect the brawler with everything she had. Granted she didn't like this mess they had gotten into because she couldn't keep her temper in check but she'd make amends. Keeping Yang from being tortured, at least physically so, would help that. At least she believed it would. Yang might blame her for getting them into this mess. She blamed herself already.

"The sleepy one needs to wake up before Marcus can do anything. Let's go." Packing away his whip Marcus grabbed his toolbox and left the room, followed by the two guards. Gwen twisted her head and watched them leave as best she could. When the door closed she let out a soft whimper of pain and let her semblance heal the wounds. She shuddered as the bones in her wrists clicked back into place and the bullets dropped to the floor.

Now she was stuck. She was already dangerously close to Yang, hands cuffed to the wall on either side of the blonde's head. But her semblance wouldn't work on another without direct contact. Gwen gulped and contemplated her options. She really didn't want to step closer as that would be a clear violation of personal space on so many levels. The only way she could would to somehow straddle the blonde while the two were standing and that just didn't feel appropriate at all.

Hesitating Gwen bent her head and nuzzled into Yang's hair. That was also a dangerous move given Yang's overprotectiveness of the locks. She'd keep the touch light and the instant her semblance had completely de-metabolized the sleeping drug she'd pull back. Yah that sounded like a plan.

Yang groaned as she came too. The sleeping dart had been pretty quick to act and kept her out for a while. There was someone directly in front of her and her arms were held at her sides. A cold wall that felt made of brick pressed against her back. Groaning again she lifted her heavy head and tugged open her eyes.

The blue material of Gwen's jacket greeted her. Yang sighed with relief, happy to know at least there was someone familiar with her. Of course that meant both of them were captured by the White Fang.

"Yang?" The blonde grunted in response. Relief washed through the wolf. "Thank Dust. I wasn't sure if my semblance worked on others in the part of drugs and that stuff. It might have only worked on wounds."

"That's one good thing of this mess," Yang grumbled, leaning away from the cold wall. Usually her own aura would keep her warm but Gwen's unnaturally chilly one plus the dampness was getting to her. The wolf cringed and looked away, feeling guilty at the situation and somewhat delighted at their new position. "Where are we anyway?"

"The old base of the SDC men that chased me."

"__What?!"__

"Ignore that for now. Yang listen to me." Gwen's scared tone made the brawler look up, a questioning expression on her face. The wolf was biting her lip nervously and kept shifting from foot to foot. "Look they're gunna torture us or me at least. Marcus is a nutcase. I won't let him hurt you though."

"What are you saying?"

"Just listen yah? Look just act like you're completely irritated with me. That I'm just a hopeless idiot completely head over heels for you and you won't give me the time of day." Yang frowned, wondering why the hell she would do that. "Make them hurt me more. I can take it. My semblance will make sure I don't die." The blonde sucked in a quick gasp, lilac eyes briefly flickering to red. Gwen twitched, having never seen that before.

"Is that your entire reasoning for protecting me?" the brawler asked. Gwen gulped and shook her head, ears burning up. Yang wasn't convinced though. She didn't want her emotions played with and wouldn't let the wolf close if this entire farce was just because of semblances. "Then what is huh? Why the hell would you protect me? My semblance takes the power from hits and transfers it to me, making me stronger. Are you saying that isn't useful?" The blonde sounded really defensive but she didn't care. She didn't want to appear weak to anyone.

"No Yang I'm not saying that. I just don't want you to get hurt okay? You've been hurt enough."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"It means what it sounds like," Gwen shot back with a frown. She hadn't expected this from Yang. Usually she was so cheerful. The wolf took a deep breath, remembering her words to Weiss. Yang was a dragon, powerful to all but one hit could send her tumbling down. Maybe she was unknowingly throwing that punch right now. "There's this air about you. Even though you smile and laugh and joke there's just this painful air about you. It reminds me of the same air around my grandpa and Papa called him wise. A wise old man who had seen too many bad things in life he said when Grandpappy died. I think you've seen too much too Yang. So please, please let me take this burden for you. Let me protect you from as much of this hell as possible."

Yang stared up at Gwen's nervous expression with an open mouth. In terms of confessing you liked someone this wasn't it. But it was still something. A lot of something. No one had ever said anything like that to her. Weiss was the only one to call her out on the farce but she had taken a different approach to helping the blonde. She had taken some of the burden of helping Ruby heal off her shoulders and had told her that she wasn't allowed to be the big sister to Gwen. Now here the wolf was trying to be the big sister to the brawler. Was it that though? Ruby wanted to protect Weiss and Weiss wanted to protect Ruby. They were in a relationship though.

Was there really a difference as to why you wanted to protect someone?

No, it was in how you cared about them. Yang cared about Ruby and wanted to protect her but she understood that some things Ruby had to get hurt and learn from. Like falling down on the cement meant scraped knees and the sting of disinfectant spray so stop dragging your feet all the time and you wouldn't trip on that crack in the sidewalk. Ruby wanted to protect Weiss from everything, especially her family that wasn't Gwen. She wanted to always be at the heiress' side, to fight with her if not for her. So how did Gwen want to protect Yang?

"Why are you doing this?" Yang whispered. Gwen looked away, ears burning up. The blonde frowned and made to reach up and tug the wolf's face back to her. The cuffs stopped that cold but the small rattle from her movement caused a pointed ear to flick toward her and then Gwen sheepishly brought her dual colored gaze back to Yang's questioning lilac ones.

"Because even a dragon falls sometimes," she answered softly, resisting the urge to lean down and nuzzle her nose against Yang's cheek. A small blush suddenly colored the blonde's cheeks.

__How the hell does she know my name literally means sun little dragon? Did she ask Ruby? __Her half sister was the only one in the team who knew that small detail about the blonde. But the scythe wielder knew how important it was for Yang to be the one to tell someone that. That there was a certain amount of trust that went into learning that. She wouldn't tell anyone...right?

"I'm a dragon to you?" she questioned, voice uncharacteristically shy. Gwen gulped and nodded.

"Y-yah. You're strong and fierce and you'll burn anyone who comes near. If they're your friends you'll burn 'em with a joke or teasing. If they're your enemy you punch their lights out. But one hit in just the right way can send you tumbling to the ground and out for the count." Yang cringed slightly because of how true everything the wolf had just said was.

"So what are you?" Gwen frowned in thought, staring blankly at the wall. Yang was thankful for that as she was trying to negate her blush. For someone to see right through her was scary and refreshing all at once.

"I'm the crazy ass knight trying to keep other knights from killing you. Although I wouldn't really call them knights. I'd call them glory seekers." Yang snorted, lips tugging into a smile. Gwen was thinking off the medieval dragon. Not the dragon her name meant. So Ruby hadn't told her. It was just how the wolf's mind worked.

"Glory seekers?" she questioned, looking up with a small smile tugging at her lips. Gwen scowled and nodded, glaring at the wall. "So like every boy who ever asked me out just because of my chest?"

"Boys do that?" the wolf gasped, eyes widening comically. Yang couldn't help the small laugh. Even in the middle of being captured by people who wanted to hurt you Gwen was still just a little wolf puppy eager to learn. "Ew. Jerks. What the hell is the point of dating someone just because of their looks?"

"Glory and bragging rights."

"Oh." Gwen looked away, ears burning. Yang felt her smile get a little brighter. The wolf did understand what she had implied. And for some reason it didn't bother her. The brawler didn't mind that Gwen wanted to protect her. It was actually pretty refreshing.

"So you want to be my knight in shining armor then huh?" Yang ribbed, bumping her head into Gwen's shoulder because she couldn't elbow the wolf. A scowl crossed the taller woman's lips.

"No. I just want to be your knight. Knights in shining armor do all the protecting and glory seeking. I'm not that kind of knight. I want to fight with you, not for you. You'd probably punch my lights out if I tried fighting your battles for you." Yang fell silent again, disturbed but just how clearly Gwen could see things about her that she herself hadn't even realized.

"So you're the knight and I'm the dragon? We got our roles a little confused here. Usually the knight wants to kill the dragon, not protect it."

"And usually the dragon wants to kill the knight, not help it learn things," Gwen shot back with a small grin. Yang chuckled, knowing that the wolf was talking about when the two first met. She sighed and gave in, trying to cuddle up to the wolf as much as possible to keep warm. Gwen hesitated before stepping closer and leaning her head down to awkwardly embrace the brawler.

"Do we really have to play out your idea for the torture? If you being tortured doesn't hurt me mentally they might want to hurt me physically." Gwen barred her teeth at the thought.

"Hell no. I won't let them hurt you like that."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Maybe...maybe act as you would? Just not quite as angry. Too much anger will turn the whip to you."

"And then what? How do we get out of here?" Gwen hesitated, trying to think of the surrounding area and where she knew James had put traps. Yang waited, straining her ears to hear if the men were coming back. Or the nutcase Marcus as Gwen had called him.

"I don't know. James might send a video out they can trace back to here," the wolf finally answered in a low mumble. Yang dipped her head in agreement. "Let's give it about three days. If they haven't come by then we'll break out of this joint. I've already broken the cuffs once. It did snap my wrists though."

"You're entirely too strong you know that?" Yang said, narrowing her eyes. Gwen shrugged and fought the urge to nuzzle into the blonde's hair. "Alright we'll go with your plan. Hopefully we get out of this mess soon."

"Hopefully." __Because the dance is this weekend and I'd really like to take you.__

****A/N I just edited this entire chapter for one little thing. You're welcome. Anyway there was something of relevance in the old AN.****

****Anyone up for Yang x Gwen ship name being The Dragon and the Knight? Anyone? Okay I'll stop now. -cowers under my hood- I actually didn't plan that. I was just like 'Well what could make an impression and look cool? Knights that's what.' and thus the Grimm Knights was born. Plus how would you feel having a knight wielding a claymore bearing down at you?****

****I've decided to go with that ship name by the way. _****


	16. Rescue Plans - Revised

Ruby frowned at the screen on her arm guard. The signal was coming from way into the Woods of Eternal Winter, almost a direct northwest line from her mom's grave. It would take at least a day to get there, in which they could move again or Yang and Gwen could be severely tortured. Neo had said the torture she had been through was minimal and they had said she was lucky Marcus wasn't there. Ruby had a sinking feeling her sister and her friend had met Marcus.

"Can that team you sent to clear out the Grimm be redirected to observe the area?" she asked, turning her attention to the scroll in her hands. On screen Ozpin frowned and shook his head. The scythe wielder fought down her irritation.

"One of them was seriously injured recently. The team is on their way back. I've already sent Team CVFY to the area to do surveillance," the man answered. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "Your team and Team JNPR will head out immediately to meet them. Goodwitch and Port will secure Neo. Graduated teams UNCL, LANC, and BTTR are also on their way. Freelancer Lumi Belladona is acting as an advanced scout." Blake's head shot up.

"Lumi wouldn't happen to be a cat Faunus with a long bushy tail and wide blue eyes would she?" the ninja asked. Ozpin chuckled and nodded. Blake slumped with relief, a small smile tugging at her lips. "She's not dead. That's nice. Maybe she could have talked some sense into Adam." The bull Faunus was still in a coma from being stabbed in the back by Cinder. They weren't sure if he'd ever come out of it.

"Advanced scout?" Ruby prompted, turning the attention back to their current situation. She cautiously shifted her weight onto her injured leg, wincing a little, but ultimately deciding she could bear it.

"She was in the area already and from my understand is specifically a snow leopard cat Faunus," Ozpin explained. Blake nodded in agreement. "She'll pass along information to Team CFVY and from there to you. Since it's Miss Kelling and Miss Xiao Long captured your team is in charge." Ruby nodded, mind already formulating plans. If she could get a dropship then Team JNPR and the three of them could come from above. The other teams could come from different directions. If Lumi was adapted to running in the snow then she could run where support was needed. Or they could pick her up and she could fill the spot Yang normally took.

"Understood." The call ended and Ruby turned her attention to Blake. Before she could open her mouth there was a vertical shift. The tank had reached Beacon Cliffs and was now slowly climbing up it. They'd be on their way to the Woods of Eternal Winter soon.

"Lumi fights a lot like Yang," Blake said with a small grin. "But her weapon is different. She actually wields dual pistols. Pretty massive ones if I remember correctly."

"Can you pair up with her until we find Yang and figure out if she can fight?" Ruby asked. Blake nodded. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "Alright then. Let's get in contact with the other teams." The scythe wielder opened the group message Ozpin had set up. It had all the team leaders and the headmaster on the list. This one also included Lumi's scroll as well.

"Is Lumi the same Faunus who gave you the last name Belladona?" Weiss asked her technically sister now.

"Yes. She's older than us by a good ten years at least though." Blake's ears kept flicking nervously and she contemplated tying up her bow. But right now it didn't matter and she really didn't care at this point. Team JNPR already knew, likely because Weiss couldn't keep her mouth shut, but the cat Faunus didn't care. She wanted Yang and Gwen safe and wanted Lumi to meet the four woman Blake now considered her suburgatory family. And she really wanted to know what the older cat Faunus thought of Sun.

Neo watched the exchange and the plan making going on quietly. She was nervous and scared, partly because of the fact she was going to be prisoner to the ones she fought in the war and partly because of how her childhood best friend had acted. Gwen was always a happy little wolf, fiercely loyal to her family and her friends yes, but still very happy. Neo herself had never seen the wolf snarl at anyone, not even if they knocked her over in the ice skating rink. A small smile played on the escape artist's lips. The wolf had been a mess on ice.

She gulped nervously when the tank leveled and stopped, the hatch opening with a slow hiss. The members of Team JNPR all dropped into the cargo hold and she recognized a few. Namely Pyrrha because of the Amazonian's prior accomplishments before coming to Beacon. Nora she recognized because her carefree attitude had even Cinder worrying. Neo sighed and stood, shuffling awkwardly because of the stupid cuffs.

Ruby cheered as she spotted the dropship. The other teams and Lumi had agreed to the plan hatched up. So far everything was going well. All they needed now was the information from the freelancer as she scouted out the area.

"Wait this doesn't make sense. Why is the SDC here?" Lumi still had her scroll opened. She came to stop, perfectly still and hard to see in the snow. Wide blue eyes scanned the clearing in confusion. "They're not here. They were though."

"That area is in the same area as the Kelling compound. It's been confirmed that SDC members did in fact attack the compound fourteen years ago," Ruby informed the freelancer. A soft curse filtered through the speaker. "What can you see?"

"Guards everywhere. In pairs the little shits. Two on either side of the door. There's an airship in the back. No fences but the snow's disturbed in areas. Likely where traps have been laid. Passed a few of those myself. Some sort of mass grave off to the east. No traps there."

"Team CFVY takes the east side then." Fox was blind so they had to account for that. He was still a very successful fighter.

"We can take the side with the airship," the leader of Team LANC supplied. "Ashley is good at messing with things in ways you don't realize it's messed up until it's too late."

"That'll be the north side then. I'll mark out the traps on the map. They're not going beyond the clearing. Holy shit that's a Grimm!" Gunfire sounded through the speaker. "Fucking hell they tore that thing apart in seconds. Those Dust guns aren't something we normally face. This shit is gunna hurt."

"Focus Lumi. Did the Grimm activate any traps?"

"No. It came from the east. Might have been the only one though. I've seen the smoke trails the entire time I've been out here. Not sure who else is out here but they're packing some serious firepower."

"Mark the other traps and scout out part of the surrounding area. Coco will let you know when her team is in the area. Rendezvous with her and pass on what you know. Then if you remember where you've seen those smoke trails investigate those areas. Let's try and figure out who else is in the area."

"You got it kid. See ya soon." A small beep was heard and Lumi had left the call, scouting some more.

"Team UNCL can you take west?"

"Sure thing."

"And that leaves us with south. You get the dropship?" Team BTTR's leader asked. Ruby grinned as the ship took off, the distinct sound playing through the speakers. "Nevermind question answered. Anything we should look for when we get there?"

"I'll send you pictures of the two we have in there and of the head. It's been confirmed James Kelling is the leader of the White Fang and it's because of him that the organization turned to violence. We want to capture him alive but lethal force is authorized if needed."

"And the members of the White Fang?"

"Capture if possible, kill if necessary." The same way they had dealt with the White Fang during the war. Ruby flexed the fingers of her arm guard and checked the position of the tracer. Minimal movement, like James was pacing. She nodded to herself. Hopefully it would stay like that.

"What's your ETA?"

"A day at least. Half if there's no turbulence."

"And Team CFVY?"

"We should be there in three hours." The dropships had been developed strictly for military use and transferred troops in half the time it took for the normal airships to do so.

"We'll be behind you in an hour then. Happy hunting all." The graduated teams signed off, leaving the remainder of Team RWBY and Team JNPR to get their plan together. Ruby turned to Nora.

"Can you blast a hole through the roof of the building on the way down?" the scythe wielder asked. Nora grinned and leveled her massive weapon with a nod. "Okay you're first out then. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss are next. Set up a defensive parameter for safe landing and extraction if needed. Ren, Blake I want you guys to land on the roof and sneak in. Your job is to find Yang and Gwen as quick as possible. Can Lumi fight on her own?" Blake nodded. "Alright then her and I will hit the main entrance and the back entrance as one. We'll work our way to the middle which is where I want that extraction point. Sound good?" Everyone nodded, checking weapons and ammo. "Good. We'll pick Lumi up to the south of the base. Now we just have to get there."

****POV Switch TRIGGER WARNING: TORTURE****

Gwen growled as Marcus twisted the drill into her shoulder more. Once the mouse Faunus had realized her aura was healing her at a faster rate making the whip pretty much useless he had taken more drastic measures. The drill was one of those things and the nails he had hammered into her spine. It hurt just to even stand because of those.

Yang was trembling with rage behind the wolf. Her eyes were entirely red now and her hair all but completely on fire. Still she didn't say a word, per Gwen's request. At this point it would just be a violent spew of swears and threats. So the blonde kept her mouth shut and glared at the floor.

"Stubborn stubborn. Why are you so stubborn?" Marcus mused in his high reedy voice. Gwen coughed, tasting the blood in her mouth and knowing it was from her recently broken then healed ribs that had punctured a lung.

"You're a nutcase," she managed to say, voice tight with pain.

"Marcus just wants to know your secrets."

"Fuck off ass." She sounded tired of the man's attempts to make her talk.

"Marcus will keep torturing you if you don't tell him what he wants to know."

"Marcus needs to learn to talk in fucking first person." That seemed to set the mouse Faunus off. He started ranting but his voice had hit pitches too high to be understandable. Gwen cringed and flattened her ears against her head. On the other side of the door the White Fang members set to guard the prisoners sighed.

"Think they brought up his thing about talking in third person?" one asked his partner. The other Faunus grunted a response. "You're right. We should shut up."

Marcus finally stopped his rant ten minutes later and stormed out of the room red faced. Gwen sighed and slumped with relief, allowing her aura to remove the nails and drill from her body. Yang fumed silently for a few more minutes before sighing and doing her best to lean against the wolf, seeking comfort. A small chuckle rose into the air.

"I hate this," the blonde grumbled. Gwen didn't make a comment, only coughed carefully off to the side so she didn't get blood on Yang. Sure the brawler wasn't unfamiliar with the liquid but the wolf's blood had a weird habit of disappearing like Grimm blood. "Can we break out yet?"

"It hasn't even been a day Yang."

"How can you be so sure?!"

"Dunna know. I just am." The wolf leaned down and hesitantly nuzzled into the brawler's hair. Yang stiffened at first then relaxed with an annoyed sigh. She knew Gwen was trying to comfort her and actually did take comfort in that. She still didn't like their current situation though.

"I still hate this."

"I know Yang I know." Gwen shifted, feeling an odd sensation in her gut. It wasn't like being watched. In fact it wasn't anything she knew of. But her semblance did.

__Why now? Why did my heat finally activate now? Is it because of the fact I'm in pretty much surrounded by Faunus? Blake had said that could happen. __The cat Faunus had explained a few days ago what heat was and why it was likely Gwen had one because she didn't have a cycle like humans. Half-Faunus either got a heat or a cycle. Blake, being a full Faunus, only had the option of going into heat. Gwen shifted again, grumbling softly under her breath.

"You sure you can do this?" Yang's voice was colored with concern. Gwen felt her ears burn and averted her gaze. There wasn't a way in hell she was going to tell the brawler she just had to be in heat during torture.

"I'm sure. I've gone through worse," she answered, voice low. Hopefully the other Faunus in the area wouldn't pick up on the fact she was in heat. Gwen wrinkled her nose and barred her teeth at the thought. When Yang snuggled as close as the cuffs allowed she sucked in a quick breath and dropped the snarl.

"I still hate this."

"Are you gunna keep saying that until we're out of here?"

"Probably." Gwen chuckled and bent her head closer to the blonde. Yang sighed and wondered if after this they really could be a couple. This entire thing could just be because they were caught and Gwen felt guilty because she couldn't keep her anger in check. Although the blonde was guilty of the same thing many times before. Namely with her first one on one fight with Neo.

It was odd to think of Neo as being a victim but a victim she was. The wolf had explained her connection to the escape artist and her disgust at her brother's actions. Yang had cringed. Roman was just a complete and utter ass yes but James was starting to sound like a worse one.

"We'll get out of this Dragon I promise." Yang blushed at the nickname.

"You gunna keep calling me that?"

"I'll stop if you want me to." That was the last thing she wanted. Being called Dragon made her feel special in a weird way. Yang quickly shook her head.

"I get to call you Knight though," she stated, trying to hide the fact she liked being called Dragon by the wolf. Gwen chuckled, ears burning red with embarrassment.

"Fair enough. It doesn't sound like Marcus is coming back for a while. We should get some rest while we can." Yang scowled. "It'll replenish my aura at the very least."

"Alright fine you win. Night Knight." A low groan rose into the air.

"You and those puns. You're the Pun Dragon that's what you are."

"And proud of it!" Gwen smiled and shook her head.

"Go to sleep Dragon."

****A/N Teams UNCL (Uncle), LANC (Lance), and BTTR (Butter) are just random side teams I created. I'm not going to develop them. Lumi I am going to develop though cuz I just love snow leopards. Ciao!****


	17. The Freelancer - Revised

Lumi carefully crept forward, weaving through the patrolling guards with practiced ease. Technically she was a wanted criminal, what with the shit that went down seven years ago. Ozpin hadn't held that against her when he hired her though. That had been roughly five years ago. Being a freelancer who worked for the Hunters community didn't get the cops off your tail though.

It helped her semblance was camouflage. Although it was tied directly into her Faunus nature and only worked in the snow. So she only worked in the snow. Her entire being was meant for the snow. She was part snow leopard after all.

The freelancer slunk up to the window she had heard voices coming from before. Her tail twitched nervously, brushing through the snow and erasing her foot prints. It wasn't actually meant for that but whatever. Adapt and overcome.

Wide, stormy blue eyes raised and peered through the grimy window. Lumi scowled and rubbed at the glass. It didn't help much but caught the attention of someone inside. The two stared at each other, the freelancer panicking slightly. Then she relaxed, recognizing the dual colored eyes as belonging to one of the captured little cu-Hunters. These were Hunters not little cubs to protect.

"__Don't worry. They're coming to get you," __the freelancer mouthed in hopes that the wolf could read lips. She grinned with relief when the captured woman nodded to show she understood.

"__When?"__

"__You'll know. They're gunna bust a hole in the roof." __Lumi watched the wolf shake her head in exasperation and then a pointed ear flick back. Panic flashed briefly through the dual colored gaze. The freelancer took it as her cue to vanish from sight. She dropped to her stomach again and shuffled her way back to the woods.

Pulling herself into one of the trees the freelancer brushed off the snow and checked her pistols. They were made to withstand just about any weather she may go through but she'd just like to be sure. The massive weapons were strapped securely to her legs and extra mags decorated her belt. All of that was covered by the grayish white full length duster she was never seen without.

Lumi tucked herself into a crook of the tree and watched the patrols move about. Her nose kept twitching at the smells coming from the White Fang. It was like they didn't know the meaning of taking a shower. Out of habit she pulled a pistol from its holster and went through the motions of cleaning it, making sure the weapon was good to go. Then she did the same thing with the other one. By the time she finished Team CFVY had signaled they were in the area.

The freelancer dropped to the ground and bound through the snow to the east where they were. Booted feet skimmed lightly over the white blanket, adapted to her Faunus nature. Lumi kept low though, just out of sight of the clearing, and deftly avoiding all the traps set up. There were no traps to the east. The Grimm had made sure of that.

All the Grimm and their smoke trails were coming from the east. The freelancer suspected most of it was because of traps but not all of it could be. No White Fang members had been dispatched since she got here and there hadn't been footprints in the snow. They said James was injured and likely couldn't fly so he was out for setting traps. That could only mean one thing.

Someone or something else was out there. And they were killing Grimm.

The rabbit Faunus noticed her. Lumi slowed and dropped her semblance. Surprised glances turned to her but the red haired man was a little off to the side. One of her rounded ears twitched. Was that man blind?

"You're Lumi Belladona?" one of the women asked. The freelancer grinned and nodded. That purse looked deadly. "Alright. I'm Coco, that's Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi." Each member greeted her in their own way, the massive man doing nothing but peering through the trees. "You wouldn't be related to a Blake Belladona would you?"

"Technically no," Lumi answered, sticking her hands in her duster's pockets. Coco raised an eyebrow. "Belladona is kinda like the cops whole 'Doe' name but you have to earn it first amongst us. I do however know who you're talking about. Nice to hear she's still around and kicking." __And that she left that mess the White Fang is now but I don't think the little cub wants me saying that part.__

"Maybe afterwords you can catch up with her. What do you know so far?" The freelance was thrilled at that prospect but Coco was keeping her on track. Pulling out her scroll the Faunus put the map of the building she had made on display. She jabbed a finger that was slightly crooked from being broken and never set properly at the spot where she had seen the wolf earlier.

"I was able to get close enough to the building to peer through some windows. This room here. That's where they're being held. The blonde is chained to the wall facing the door and the wolf has her arms chained up by the blonde's head. Kinda protecting her I guess."

"How did you manage that?! You said there's guards crawling all over the place!"

"Calm it little one. My semblance is camouflage. Only works in the snow though. Now you see me, now you don't." Lumi shimmered from sight, taking on the exact appearance of the world behind her. Coco scowled as the freelancer became visible again. "Look I ain't one of you. But shit's going down. You wanna bark at me do it later. __After __we got your two outta there." She jerked her thumb back towards the White Fang base.

"Fine. Anything else we should know before we take over surveillance?"

"Most of the traps tripped below attack from above. Guns rigged up in the trees. Wire attached to the triggers. Headed from the base n you trip the wires you're good. Guns ain't pointed at ya. Toward the base? Kiss your life goodbye cub." The freelancer accented her information with a wave. Coco looked a little annoyed but that could have been because of how the freelancer talked. She had a habit of dropping words or not fulling pronouncing them.

"Where are the ones that aren't like that?" Lumi pointed them out on her map, tapping the spots and highlighting them with yellow. The rest of the traps remained a basic red circle.

The two passed information along before finally, finally it was time to split ways. Lumi waved, getting only a wave back from Velvet. One rounded ear flicked back as the rabbit Faunus gently reprimanded her leader for how she acted. The freelancer chuckled and went on her way, bounding easily through the snow. At least the Grimms' tracks didn't disappear like their bodies.

The first site she recalled seeing the smoke was indeed a trap sight. Frowning the freelancer climbed into the tree and started undoing the tripwires. She examined one of the guns and its bullets, trying to spot a difference. It didn't look to be the same gun the White Fang carried. In fact this was more Dust based and with a snowflake carved into the handle. A SDC gun then. Were they the ones killing the Grimm?

The next site was another trap but this one was made for the Grimm. Dead bodies littered the area, causing the Faunus to gag and pull up the scarf she rarely used. Eyes watering with the stench Lumi bent and examined the bodies. They all wore the same armor, black with a white snowflake on the right shoulder. More SDC evidence then. This time it was clear that the high powered bullets of the White Fang had teared through these men. A few bodies were torn and tattered, not entirely because of the Grimm, and the unlucky animals that had been desperate enough for food lay dead on the ground as well. They too had met their fates at the high powered Dust weapons.

Lumi grimaced and climbed into these trees. She needed to snag at least one gun and its corresponding bullets for the Hunters to examine. Weapons weren't exactly her forte but she could tell if it'd fire or not. The freelancer frowned and stared at the weapon tucked neatly in a crook of the branch. It was a standard machine gun they had used in the war. She knew that from her father taking her to different military exhibits before being killed by Faunus haters. Why mess with something that didn't need fixing?

Carefully the freelancer pulled the belt from its slot. Only a few bullets remained. She sighed and examined them. Nothing looked different on the outside and she wasn't willing to mess with the Dust aspects of it. That could be left to a Dust expert. Pulling out a pair of pliers Lumi cut the belt so she could carry just what she needed. Then she turned her attention to the next machine gun and did the same thing over.

By the time she finished collecting the bullets the three other teams had signaled they were in the area and headed toward their positions. Lumi cursed and made her way rapidly to the last place she had seen the smoke trails. Her cargo pants pockets were weighed down with the high powered bullets. It made her easy, looping movements a little sluggish but she would get through it.

Finally the last place. Footprints disturbed the snow all around the small clearing. Lumi frowned and bent to examine one. It wasn't human, Grimm, or even an animal that should be in the area. That was definitely troubling.

"Who the hell even rides horses anymore?" she whispered to herself, holding out her fingers. She couldn't even stretch the digits far enough to get a measurement of the size and not because of the cold. "These things are __huge. __What the hell?!" A small noise, almost too soft to be heard, caught her attention.

Lumi looked up slowly, one hand falling to a pistol. She gulped nervously, spotting the massive creature through the trees. It was jet black and had burning red eyes that glared at her curiously. And that didn't account for the massive horse's rider.

The two Faunus regarded each other quietly. Stormy blue stared into cold emerald. The rider wore white bone knight armor decorated with red markings. Her chainmail was black, making it hard to tell where horse began and rider ended. There was no visible weapon but Lumi didn't take any chances by drawing her own.

Two more riders melted out of the woods and joined the first. They wore the same style armor but had different markings. Their horses were pretty much the same, maybe a slight difference in build. Lumi cursed rapidly in her head. Shit was about to go down and she was at a severe disadvantage.

The beep of her scroll broke the silence. Lumi jumped about a foot into the air and sucked in a quick breath. When she turned her attention back to the three riders they were gone. She hadn't even heard them leave. Was it just a figment of her imagination?

Shaking her head the freelancer pulled out her scroll and read the newest message. Teams RWBY and JNPR had made it to the area and where headed to the pick up zone. Which was a far distance back to the south. She had ten minutes to get there.

"Fucking hell. Fuck my imagination," Lumi growled, pocketing the device. She took off, bounding through the trees with a desperation she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was the creepy way those two other riders had melted out of the shadows despite their white armor. Maybe it was the high powered bullets she couldn't explain. Maybe it was the odd chill in the air and the general sense of stay the fuck away. The Faunus shivered and shouldered her way through a snow bank. Hell was gunna go down.

Sucking in deep gulps of air the freelancer slowed, finally at the pick up point. She was barely given a moments rest before a rope was falling down. Scowling she jumped out of the way and threw up her arms to stop the snow from getting in her eyes. Lumi groaned and reached out to grab the thick rope. She yelped as suddenly she was being dragged upward and tightened her grip desperately, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck," she grumbled rapidly under her breath. Rounded ears perked slightly, listening to the odd pitched whine to the airship above her. It wasn't something she knew, not that the freelancer really cared. She never planned on leaving this snowy area.

"You can let go of the rope now Lumi," a dry, familiar voice said a few moments after the upward motion had stopped. Stormy blue eyes snapped open and the freelancer shot her old friend a look.

"Shut it cub. I hate going up like that," the older cat Faunus grumbled, carefully uncurling her fingers from the rope. Blake smirked and shook her head. "Whatever. Bring me up to speed. What's the game plan for blowing this joint?"

"Well thanks to the information you gathered earlier we can reposition ourselves to be closer to where Gwen and Yang are being held," the one with the crimson cape said. Lumi thought she looked an awful lot like the Huntress Summer Rose. She pulled up a better detailed map of the base, the image coming from a spot on her right arm. Grayish white eyebrows shot upward. What were the cubs doing these days anyway? "Team BTTR were able to get some scans with old equipment they found while coming in. Our target area is here." The finger jab highlighted an opened area just west of the room the two were being held. "Nora is the first in to blow the hole. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss are providing a defensive parameter in case we need an extra extraction point. Team LANC is going to rig that airship and remotely control it out of the area so the dropship can land. I'll be staying with Weiss and the rest to provide cover. Ren, Blake, and you will go get Gwen and Yang. I want you to provide them cover. Think you can handle it?" Silver eyes examined her critically. Yah the caped one did look a lot like Summer.

"Sure as day and right as rain," Lumi answered with a grin. Blake groaned and nearly face palmed.

"I would have thought you gave up that saying."

"Hell no. Are we going or what?" The cubs around her smirked.

"We're already there. Nora blow it."

"Weeeeeeeeeeee!" Cheering the red head dived out of the ship, blowing her cannon the entire way. Lumi felt her mouth drop open in shock at the crazy jump. After that insane one jumped three more jumped as well, two with shields and one with a Dust rapier the freelancer knew well. Hell it had been pointed at her more than once. Or at least one like it.

"Let's go," Blake said, touching the older Faunus' elbow gently. Lumi nodded and walked over to the hole in the floor, letting gravity take effect. Her hands were shoved into her pocket, giving her a casual, almost bored appearance to free falling. Blake shook her head and jumped after the other cat Faunus, followed shortly by Ruby.

As she fell the freelancer saw the other teams attacking the base. They had moved, focusing solely on the airship and the surrounding area. So this was more of get the captured cubs and get the hell out. Forget about witnesses they were White Fang. No one was going to take a word they said seriously in the end, except for other White Fang members. Lumi flinched, remembering being a part of them when she was younger and they were still nice. Hell it had actually been Summer and that damn rapier of hers to point the Faunus toward the peaceful protesters.

__It's really gunna bug me, not knowing if the red cub is related to Summer. Did she ever have kids? Lost track of her once I shifted groups. Pretty sure she was happy to stop trying to kill me. Summer didn't seem like the kind to kill just cuz you were on the opposite team. __Shaking her head the freelancer brought herself back to the present. She'd ask later, when all the shit going down was down and seeping into the earth as fertilizer. Right now she needed focus, especially as a bullet grazed her cheek. Lumi scowled and contemplated pulling one of her pistols. No, that could wait until she was in the building.

The cat Faunus landed with ease, bending her knees with the force of the landing. She pulled out her dual pistols, leveling the massive weapons easily. Blake had pulled her own weapon and the man she assumed was Ren was at the other Faunus' side. They were already off towards the thickest gathering of White Fang. Grinning Lumi followed, settling into her stance with ease. Her weapons made their distinct heavy thump as she fired, the recoil jerking the pistols back. But she was well familiar with it and only grinned more.

"Don't let them get the prisoners!" a voice from above screeched. Lumi scowled and re-aimed, firing off a quick shot. It scored its mark, just barely so, but was enough to knock the man off his balance. He fell and crumpled in the defensive parameter set up by the other three. The crimson clad Huntresses quickly secured him, snapping cuffs into place.

"Go! Get Gwen and Yang!" Lumi nodded and turned her attention back to the corridor they had to travel down. Blake and Ren were waiting. Leveling the massive weapons once more the older Faunus charged, holding the guns sideways and firing. For whatever reason that made the recoil nonexistent. Lumi didn't even pretend to know why.

__Those cubs had better be alive when we get there.__

****A/N You have no proof I revised this the day after I published it. None. Okay well now you do. Uh...****

****Anyway much foreshadowing. But hey if you thought this was the end you are wrong. I still have to pull Summer's death into the mix and that missing piece of Gwen's knowledge. Plus the dance. Can't forget the dance. That's gunna be loads of fun. You're all gunna hate me for the next chapter though. That should be up tomorrow by the way. Look forward to it! ****


	18. Killing the Corrupted - Revised

**TRIGGER WARNING: TORTURE, HINTS OF RAPE**

Yang quivered in rage as another clawed knuckle fist slammed into Gwen's chest. The wolf coughed up more blood and shuddered, her semblance activating weakly. By this point it almost seemed like the White Fang was trying to kill her.

Per James' orders.

The blonde fought the desperate urge to rip her arms free of the cuffs. Doing so now would only hurt Gwen on top of all the torture she was enduring. Because of her brother. He hated humans and human sympathizers and half-Faunus. His sister qualified as two of those three.

Gwen shuddered again and leaned heavily into the wall. Her eyes were glazed over, scaring Yang. They needed to get out of here quick before she was killed.

"Too bad the boss is telling us to hold back," one of the clawed assailants grumbled. He examined his bloody claws, twitching a little as the red liquid disappeared like Grimm blood. "Not sure I'd want to tap that though."

"Heat is heat." Yang growled which prompted a laugh. "Listen to her! A human trying to growl! And they call us animals!"

"Leave her alone you bastards," the blonde spat, glaring as best she could over Gwen's shoulder. She cursed silently that the wolf was taller than her by a good head. In another situation that would be okay but right now hell no. The two men laughed again, sick and twisted.

"Sure sure. Boss wants her alive anyway." They left still laughing, Marcus trailing after them dejectedly. The mouse Faunus had been yelled at for not getting anything fro`m Gwen or Yang and was sore about it.

"Gwen? Gwen come on wake up. Please?" The angry tone had dropped from her voice, replaced by a pleading one. But Yang didn't care. She just wanted to know the wolf was going to live. Especially after what James had said.

The winged Faunus had walked in some time after Marcus stormed out of the room. He had bandages wrapped around his shoulder and a scowl on his face. Yang had glared at him while Gwen shuffled closer, trying to protect the blonde from her brother's ire. Doing so had caused him to laugh and taunt the wolf.

"I bet you're heat now little sis," he had laughed, tipping his head back. Uneasy chuckles came from the men he had brought with him. Gwen's human ears had started burning a brilliant red then and still hadn't lost the color. "Funny thing about us Kellings. Our heat doesn't activate until the first time we fall in love. So now then I wonder...could it be the blonde you're protecting so stubbornly?"

Yang shivered as she remembered the low growl that had issued from Gwen's chest as her brother stepped a little closer. It was deep and primal, all wolf, and had the White Fang stepping back. The wolf's right eye was entirely red when she had glared at her brother.

"_You are dead to me," _she had growled out brokenly, still trying to recover from the nails and the drill. The tears weren't from that though. It was from breaking ties with her sibling.

Standing on her tiptoes and straining against the cuffs the blonde leaned up and rubbed Gwen's cheek with her nose. The wolf grunted at the contact and finally, _finally _she looked at Yang, eyes struggling to stay open. A broken and thankful smile tugged at the brawler's lips.

"There you are. How bad is it?" She wasn't sure if she was talking about the holes in the wolf's torso or the fact she was indeed in heat and around other Faunus to boot.

"Could be worse," Gwen coughed out, shivering. Yang frowned as the wolf gave her a poor attempt for a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm not going to die."

"And why is that?" Most of the wounds were still wounds but now more superficial. But the damage had been done already and Gwen had lost a lot of blood. Her paler than normal skin was almost as white as her hair.

"I'm the knight. Knights don't die in the storybooks." Yang breathed out heavily.

"This isn't a storybook Gwen."

"Life is a story. Doesn't mean it has to be a book."

"Are you really trying to argue philosophy with me right now?" Gwen chuckled but it was pained. Yang contemplated pushing some of her extra energy into the wolf again. Her temper did the same as her semblance but it burned out quicker.

"I'm not gunna die Yang," the wolf repeated, nuzzling weakly into the blonde's hair. Yang sighed again. "They're gunna be here soon."

"Wait what?"

A loud boom echoed through the base and rocked the building. Alarms started blaring as Gwen tucked herself closer to the blonde in case of falling debris. Yang scowled and gave in to some of her desires. She tugged her arms free of the cuffs, using the extra energy of her aura to keep her wrists from breaking. The wolf shuddered as calloused, burning fingers brushed against her skin as Yang tugged off those cuffs as well.

"How did you know?" the brawler asked, throwing one of Gwen's arms around her shoulders. Her other arm cocked back, Ember Cecilia engaging, and blew out the door to their small prison.

"There was a cat Faunus outside earlier," the wolf responded slowly. Her voice was raspy and sore and it was only then that Yang realized Gwen had held back from howling in pain.

"And you didn't tell me this before?!"

"There wasn't time." A shout from the door caught their attention. Yang paled a little and cursed at not remembering their surroundings. She just wanted to get the wolf to safety to have all her wounds looked at.

Gwen snarled and surged forward in a surprising burst of energy. She jerked the gun up, making the bullet carve a path through the top of her shoulder as opposed to where arteries were. Yang winced as the man was thrown against the wall with a sickening crunch. The wolf groaned and felt around her newest wound. Purely superficial. She'd heal it later.

Her armor formed over her chest and upper arms, like the kid knight in the storybooks. Yang wanted nothing more than to knock the wolf out but she couldn't bring herself to harm her. Gwen's movements were sluggish and slow, weakened by her wounds and blood loss. She staggered into the hall and snarled at the many turned backs.

_Just because you cuffed us to a wall doesn't mean you captured us._ The wolf surged into the gathering blindly. She wasn't really thinking. Her world had fallen to protecting Yang and anyone wearing a Grimm mask at this point was an enemy. Crouching and snarling the wolf started attacking.

Yang cursed under her breath as she jumped in as well. Gwen was acting blindly, dead set on protecting her and getting the hell out of this place. Her style of fighting had fallen, leaving only her desperate punching that was probably the same way she fought before Team RWBY had found her. Soon enough the White Fang realized they were being attacked from both front and back.

The blonde ducked around a doorway and shivered as bullets whizzed by. Something about them seemed different but she couldn't place her finger on it. Gwen snapped and snarled, crouching low and hooking her fingers into claws. Yang shivered again, realizing that most of the blood dripping off her friend's hands wasn't her own. It couldn't be. It wasn't disappearing.

_I bet she's not going to remember most of this later _the brawler mused, jumping up and throwing herself into the fray. In the distance she could hear an odd heavy thumping noise. Along with it came the familiar sounds of Gambol Shroud and Storm Flower. Yang sighed in relief and fought her way to Gwen's side.

The wolf looked worse than before. Her armor had expanded, forming a high neck guard and now covering her lower legs as well. What wasn't protected was bloody and torn by the bullets flying about. Her right eye was burning bright with a desperate desire to live but the left was glazed and struggling to stay open. Yang shivered.

"Gwen it's okay! It's like you said! They're here!" She didn't get a response and that scared her. That scared Yang. She looked away as another White Fang jumped up and the wolf's finger curled into his neck. With a low growl Gwen ripped the man's throat out, spewing blood around them. The brawler gulped and looked around. An odd silence had fallen and the three at the other end were looking at the pair in surprise.

"You got some spunk little ones," the older woman grinned brokenly. Almost off handedly she pointed one of her massive weapons down a corridor and pulled the trigger. Yang sighed as the heavy thump from before echoed through the hall. "But the tall one looks worse for wear." Gwen was blinking slowly at Yang's side, almost like she couldn't quite believe all the enemies were gone.

"Where do we need to go to get out of this place?" the brawler asked, gently guiding her friend-maybe-crush over to the trio. Wide stormy blue eyes narrowed slightly as the freelancer examined the wolf.

"Back this way. I got your backs. Let's go." Blake shot Yang a worried looked to which the brawler mouthed 'later'. She'd explain this hell later. _After _Gwen was tucked securely into a medical bed. "We're on our way back leader cub kid. Wolf pup's in bad shape though."

Ruby sighed in relief when Lumi's voice came through the scroll. She looked at her friends, getting forms of affirmative. They had all heard the message. They just needed to hold this spot down and wait. Teams CFVY and BTTR were working their way in through from the airship yard. LANC and UNCL were keeping the landing area secure. So far everything was going according to plan.

"Uh do you guys know anything about horses in the area?" a voice asked. Ruby groaned. Never say things were going according to plan. It jinxed stuff up.

"Wait fuck. Those _weren't _my imagination?"

"You knew about them?!"

"Got a twisted fuck of an imagination cub."

"Focus the both of you. What's going on?" It was like trying to corral Zwei into taking a bath. Ruby puffed out a heavy breath of air and waited.

"They're helping us. They're taking out the White Fang that was already outside."

"Well isn't that nice of em. Crazy imagination."

"See if you can flag them down and we can talk to them."

"Might have to set up a meeting for the future leader cub. Not sure how long-shit hit the deck! Incoming!" A boom echoed through the building and shook the walls. Lumi coughed as the dust fell and fired blindly. Someone got hit and fell to the ground with a low grunt. "You cubs okay?"

"What the hell was that?" Yang coughed, pulling herself up. Below her Gwen groaned, hands clamped firmly over her pointed ears. Blake and Ren were also coughing in the falling dust.

"Missile launcher. Didn't ya get shot at with those in the war?"

"Um no."

"Damn. My generation was violent then. Let's keep going. Pretty sure since we ducked the others got creamed." Lumi's tail twitched as she stood, guns raised. There was a ringing silence to the area.

"Everyone okay?" Ruby asked, trying to hide her nerves. Weiss looked equally concerned but focused on keeping the area clear.

"Ain't new injuries if that's what you mean cub." The freelancer elected to ignore that fact she was old and dropping to the floor like that had jarred an old leg wound that had never healed properly. She had a lot of wounds that never healed properly. "We're almost to ya kid. No worries." Through the dust she could see the massive storage room and the bodies between them and their destination. Lumi shivered and fired again into the direction the missile had come from.

Another explosion rocked the building. The freelancer cursed and threw up her arms for protection. She hadn't meant to hit their ammo, just them. But hitting the ammo worked just as well. If only her ears would stop ringing and her leg stopped throbbing that was.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Lumi accidentally shot the missiles," Blake answered coughing. She ran over to her friend and helped her drag the wolf up. Gwen groaned softly and leaned heavily on Yang. A nod from the blonde sent the ninja to collect her adoptive mom.

"Had a lot of missiles cub. We gotta get outta here." Lumi was holding one hand over her right ear. Blake pursed her lips and tugged the older Faunus toward the clearing. "Alright alright geez. I'm going I'm going. Impatient little cub."

"We're in the middle of a rescue mission!" Blake hissed. Lumi grumbled crossly under her breath and limped rapidly after the ninja. Ren was clearing a path for Gwen and Yang to stagger through. On the other side of the room the two graduated teams finally arrived and started helping to wreak havoc.

"Too many injuries?" Ruby asked when Gwen and Yang collapsed in the defensive circle set up. Yang nodded breathlessly, fire burning in her eyes. The scythe wielder pursed her lips, surprised the undercurrent of emotions in her sister's anger red eyes. Fear. She was afraid the wolf would die.

"James," the woman suddenly gasped, eyes snapping open. She surged upward, pushing Yang to the side and rolling over the blonde protectively. From his perch in the rafters the man scowled and loaded another dart into his rifle.

Before anyone could do anything the wolf sprung to her feet, aura armor rapidly taking over. She made not a sound as her weapon formed, this time a whip, and cracked it high above her head. Yang flinched and sat up looking for Marcus. She felt her mouth drop open as Gwen tugged on the black leather rope curled around her brother's ankle. James scowled as he fell but couldn't snap out his wings on account of the bandages.

"You've lost control now little sis," he coughed, sitting up in the crater he had made on impact. Heavy thuds echoed in the silence as the armored figure walked over to the winged Faunus. He struggled to his feet, grinning broken. "Oh you've so lost control. Don't you remember who I am? I am your controller."

"_**You are nothing to me." **_The voice issuing from the helmet wasn't Gwen's and was at the same time. Yang shivered and watched as the massive claymore took the place of the whip in flurry of black smoke. James frowned and took a step back. Gwen continued forward, unfazed, dragging the tip of her blade along the ground. It didn't create sparks, just the irritating nails on a chalkboard screech that had everyone cringing with some of the White Fang collapsing in pain. "_**No one is my controller. I am my own controller." **_She swung the blade and took off one of his arms. Shocked James fell, clutching at the stump. He stared at it before finally the pain registered and his eyes rolled back into his head. Glowing red eyes from Gwen's mask watched with little remorse.

With a mighty roar the White Fang surged forward, intent on killing the Grimm that looked like a knight. As far as they were concerned Gwen was Corrupted, the term used when someone had swallowed Grimm blood. Of course this appearance and calmness had never been heard of before. Nor the explosion?

Weiss threw up a glyph that stopped most of the black spikes from hitting the group of Hunters. Lumi was on the ground, hands clamped firmly over her rounded ears, and writhing in pain. Blake was fairing little better and Velvet had passed out. Most of the White Fang weren't so lucky and ended up with numerous spikes in their body. Once the dust had settled Yang was out and around the glyph, bounding toward the center where they had last seen Gwen.

The wolf was standing in the center of the ring of bodies, blinking owlishly at her brother. Blood surrounded her feet, stemming from her various wounds, that was slowly disappearing. Yang ran up and skidded to a stop. Tired dual colored eyes turned to her in a daze and it caused her to flinch. She didn't like seeing Gwen like this.

"You don't have to be the knight all the time Gwen," Yang whispered. She raised a shaking hand to the wolf's face and gently cupped her chin. A smile flickered to life then Gwen was groaning and her knees were buckling. The brawler sucked in a breath and braced herself under the sudden weight. "Why do you do it?"

"Masks...hurt...Dragon...not...good," Gwen responded brokenly, struggling to stand under her own power. Yang scowled and bent, quickly picking up the woman bridal style. The wolf grunted and struggled weakly.

"Shut up and stop fighting it Knight."

"But the Masks-"

"You got them all already Gwen. It's okay we're safe." The wolf grumbled and finally relaxed. Yang breathed a sigh of relief and made her way back to the group. Weiss looked pale but not nearly as pale as Gwen. "Let's get out here. _Now._"

"You guys on your way?" Everyone jumped, having forgotten about the two teams outside. Ruby gulped and nodded.

"Be there in a few," she answered. Yatsuhashi had Velvet in her arms. Pyrrha and Weiss were helping Blake navigate out of the area. Lumi stumbled after them, blinking blood out of her eyes.

"Well good. Someone else showed up. She's attacking our three horse riding friends."

"What does she look like?"

"Black hair and a Grimm mask." Yang stiffened slightly and clenched her teeth. Why? Why was her mom here? Why did she show up at the most random of times for no apparent reason?

"Hey wait a sec isn't that the Huntress who made it her life mission to hunt down and kill all who were Corrupted?"

"We know who those are. They're literally insane. I don't think those three are."

"Still she's got the look."

"Yah yah we'll check when we get back." Ruby chanced a glance at her sister. Yang was grinding her teeth in anger and hurt but she kept her hands from clenching. Gwen didn't need anymore injures.

They made it to the yard. The dropship was open and the two teams were waiting around it. Yang breathed a sigh of relief and briefly turned her attention to the fight further out.

Her mom really was there, clashing blades with three armored figures. The armor was exactly the same as Gwen's aura armor but with different markings and different helmets. The horses were dancing around, massive black creatures with a red symbol on their hindquarters. Gwen stirred weakly, a pointed ear flicking toward the fight. A cough racked her body and brought Yang's attention back to the woman in her arms.

"Shit incoming crazy lady with a Grimm mask!" Lumi suddenly said, pulling out one of her pistols. Yang snapped her head up as Gwen stirred more. There was her mom running at them, deftly deflecting bullets with her sword. Now why the hell was that? "Where have I seen this crazy stunt before?"

One of the armored figures yelled out something none of them understood. Gwen coughed and rolled out of Yang's arms, stumbling over her feet. Her armor was starting to form but slowly. The woman snarled weakly, staggering to protect Yang. The blonde couldn't decide if she was angry or scared that her mom had appeared. Usually it meant the blonde was dancing dangerously close to death.

"Doh shit." The swear from Lumi jolted Yang out of her daze. She blinked as Gwen staggered back into her, yelping in pain. Between the pair and Raven was something that was already disappearing like a Grimm's body. The smoke rose into the air and circled Gwen's arm. Or rather, what was left of it.

"Y-Yang get out of here." Gwen's voice was shaky and wide eyes stared at the clean cut that had taken almost her entire forearm off. Yang jolted out this stupor with a scowl.

"No way. I'm not leaving you behind."

"Y-Yang that isn't me. None of this is. Get out of here please." Her eyes were desperate and fearful. Yang gulped. Gwen wasn't in a daze. She had come out of it just to find she was spiralling out of control. Her arm had fully disappeared and the smoke had taken the form of an arm attached to her body. It solidified, black skin with black fur, and burning red marks where her tattoos were before. "Get out of here!"

Then suddenly Raven sprang forward, driving the wolf's attention to her. Yelping with alarm she ducked and choked as her body twisted, sweeping at her attacker's feet. Yang took a step forward to join the fray, angry tears rolling down her face. She knew the wolf was just protecting her, knew that anyone wearing a mask was susceptible, and knew that Gwen's aura was close to burning out. What the brawler didn't understand was why her mom was focusing solely on Gwen.

"Easy there cub," Lumi's voice was low in her ear as an arm wrapped around her. Yang struggled against it but her strength had deserted her.

"Let me go! She's gunna get killed!" Yang wasn't sure if she was talking about Gwen or her mom.

"I know cub I know. I'm sorry. But if you go there now...you'll die as well." The blonde shuddered.

"Why...do you...want to...kill...Yang?" Gwen gasped out, narrowly avoiding getting her head removed from her neck.

"I'm not after her," Ravyn answered calmly.

"I don't...believe...you."

"Really? Even though I'm trying to kill you now?"

"Lots of people...have tried...to kill me."

"So?"

"Why...do you want...to kill me?"

"You're part Grimm. You're Corrupted. And you're near my daughter." Gwen coughed and choked on the blood that rose in her throat. Raven dived at her but the wolf ducked out of the way, not fully in control of her movements. Desperate instincts were coming into play again.

"I...have...a soul," the wolf gasped, staggering to her feet again. Now Raven was between her and Yang. That wouldn't do for the taller woman.

"And you also have a Grimm eye and now a Grimm arm. You're Corrupted."

"Not...a monster...like them." She lunged past the other woman, trying to get between her and Yang. The blonde yelled as her mom's blade tore a path through Gwen's jacket along her spine. Groaning the wolf staggered back to her feet and turned.

"NO!" Lumi released Yang finally as the red katana blade drove through Gwen's chest. It wasn't quite at the heart but close enough. What little blood she had left would bleed out. Gwen coughed again, this time tasting and feeling the warm liquid flow out of her mouth. She tightened her grip around the katana's guard and cocked back her free hand. The hand that was now a Grimm like hand.

Yang froze as her mom's mask went flying off her face. Wide red eyes turned slowly to the wolf who only stared tiredly back. Her knees buckled again and she dropped, keeping the eye contact.

"You do...look like...Yang," Gwen wheezed out, pulling the blade from her chest and hand. She had done this before, redirected an attack by being stabbed through the hand. Usually it was off to the side but all she had been able to do this time was let gravity take effect and tug it below her heart just barely so. Raven frowned at her.

"Why do you want to protect Yang?" the woman asked softly. A soft smile lingered on the wolf's lips.

"Love...her." And she collapsed face first into the snow.

"GWEN!" Finally unfreezing Yang ran over and rolled the wolf onto her back, kicking the blade carelessly out of the way. Tears rolled down her face, not that she was aware of. Her focus right now was making sure her friend and possibly crush was alive. Fumbling she put two fingers to Gwen's neck, desperately searching for a pulse.

There was none.

**A/N Troll lol lol lol lol :D**


	19. Breath

"No…" It was a low, disbelieving whisper. "No, no, no, no, no…" Gaining strength and volume it caught the attention of the others. "No, no, NO! HELL NO! DAMNIT NO!" Fumbling desperately Yang tried recalling how to do CPR. It wasn't something they were taught in school but the war had made it necessary. Too bad it had faded from her memory as she hadn't needed it then.

The others were racing over but she couldn't react to them. She just couldn't. Her world was shattering, something she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with. It had shattered when Summer had died. It had shattered when her dad shut down. It had shattered when she found out Summer actually wasn't her mom and that her real mom had left her just after she was born. It had shattered when she left for Signal and Ruby had fallen into depression. It had shattered when Blake and Sun started dating. But unlike those times she didn't think she could pick up the pieces and rebuild again.

_I ruined it. I fucking ruined it. She was special to me and I didn't realize it until too late. _Choking on tears, Yang bent over the dead wolf in her arms and struggled to contain herself. She didn't want to appear weak to anyone…

Crunching snow reached her ears but it wasn't coming from behind her. It was coming from the woman walking slowly toward the pair, almost on guard. Yang ground her teeth and pulled Gwen's body closer to her.

"Don't you dare," she choked out, voice tight with anger. "Don't you dare fucking come any closer." There was a pause, in which the others formed a barrier between the blonde and her mom. Shaking Yang raised her head, tears streaming from her red eyes. Raven was frowning at her daughter. No one seemed to notice the golden sparks dancing across Gwen's torso.

"Yang she's not dead yet. Her body isn't disappearing." And it wasn't but there was no heartbeat either. With a shaking hand Weiss leaned over and closed her cousin's glazed eyes. _(She was in a cold, dark place.)_

"What does that have anything to do with the fact you killed her?!" Ruby pulled her girlfriend close into a comforting hug. _(A place so dark that even if her hand was directly on her face she couldn't see it.)_

"She's Corrupted. If she really is dead then her body should be disappearing." Blake frowned as she watched footprints appear in the snow but nobody to make them circle around behind Raven. _(She looked around slowly, not sure where she started or where she began.)_

"Who the fuck cares?! You killed her for no reason! Just like how the SDC wanted her dead too!" Lumi was no where to be seen. _(Crying? Was that crying she was hearing?)_

"I killed her because she's part Grimm!" One of the other Hunters bent slowly and picked up the discarded katana. _(Yes it was. Curious she moved toward the sound.)_

"What proof do you have?!" The mysterious footprints came to a stop directly behind Raven. _(Something golden came into view. A weird snake with legs and a moustache. Tears streamed from its red eyes.)_

"The markings on her body and the way her aura takes form." Ruby finally noticed the dancing sparks and frowned. _(She reached out to wipe the tears away but her hand went right though the dragon like she was a ghost.)_

"That's it?! You killed her simply because of that?!" The scythe wielder quietly brought the sparks to her girlfriend's attention. _(A frown played on her lips. She wanted to catch the dragon's attention but couldn't through actions. So speaking maybe?)_

"That's all the reason I needed." Weiss sucked in a quick breath, her own tears slowing. _(She opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't.)_

"You don't even know anything about her! There was no reason to kill her!" Yang couldn't tell if she was angry or distraught anymore. Whatever she was tears were still rolling down her face but her energy was rapidly fading. _(Confused she tried again.)_

"She's Corrupted! She's a monster!" Raven snapped, irritated at the blonde. Yang sucked in a sharp breath, anger coursing through her body again. _(There was no air in her lungs to get the words she wanted to say out.)_

"The only monster I see here is _you_," Yang spat back. Oh there had been times she had thought of her mom as a monster for leaving her. But she always overcame those times. Now? _(In order to comfort the dragon she needed to __**breath**__.)_

Gwen's eyes snapped open as she sucked in a huge breath of air. Instantly she started coughing up the blood still in her throat and lungs. She rolled away from a completely stunned Yang and spat up the red liquid. A startled yell came from Raven and she took a step back. Lumi shimmered into view behind the woman and pinned the woman's arms behind her back.

"Gwen?" Yang's voice was small and hesitant, like she couldn't believe the wolf had just rolled away from her breathing. The taller whitette grunted and turned her attention to the blonde, absently wiping at her mouth. Weiss sucked in a quick breath. Her cousin's left hand was still human shaped but had the exact appearance as a Grimm limb. Her tattoos glowed faintly, brighter at first then softer. In time with her heart.

"Why are you crying Yang?" Gwen coughed out, rolling onto her knees and shuffling closer to the blonde. She reached a shaking hand out and thumbed away one of the tear trails. Yang gasped and started laughing with relief. She threw her arms around the wolf and sobbed into her shoulder grinning.

"You're alive you're alive you're alive!" she managed to get out between sobs of joy and relief. Gwen's eyes widened and she slowly examined all the holes in her clothes. Through those holes new scars were visible. Hesitantly she wrapped one arm around Yang's waist and pulled her closer. She shook her head while starting to carefully run her fingers through the blonde's hair.

"I told you I'm not going to die. I'm your knight." Another broken laugh as the others exchanged glances. What had happened during the time those two were captured?

"I guess I should have listened then." Gwen smiled and gently nuzzled Yang's cheek with her nose. The blonde pulled back and ghosted her fingers over some of the healed wounds, grinning brokenly from ear to ear. It was like playing connect the dots.

"Does the dragon ever listen to the knight in the stories?"

"The knight doesn't try to talk to the dragon!"

"Let me go you little brat!" Raven spat, struggling against Lumi's hold. Yang scowled, her good mood almost instantly ruined. Gwen frowned and nuzzled the blonde's cheek again.

"Shavit I'm your age," the older cat Faunus grumbled, motioning for a pair of cuffs to be brought over. Raven froze at the odd word and slowly turned her gaze to her capturer. Annoyed stormy blue eyes watched her.

"You!"

"Sah-prize bitch. Now shaddup and be a good likkle cap'ive."

"Lumi you're doing the thing again," Blake pointed out in a dry amused tone. She smirked as an eye twitch developed on her adoptive mom's face. Yang sighed with relief as her mom was cuffed and dragged over to the dropship by the older grumbling cat Faunus. Then she turned her attention back to Gwen. The wolf was still carefully petting her hair and she found she didn't mind like she usually would. Hell it felt really nice even. She snuggled closer.

"You know we should probably get out of the snow," Gwen pointed out in a low murmur. Yang blushed and stood up slowly. She wondered if her knees would give out from just the sheer exhaustion she felt that was likely from emotional overload. Gwen followed her, turning her attention to where the three horse riders had last been seen. They and their horses were nowhere.

Yang took a step away from the wolf and Weiss dived in. She started fussing pointlessly over her cousin, causing the wolf to laugh. Weiss gasped in shock as she was picked up and hugged tightly. It was exactly like how Yang would hug her on very special occasions. The shorter whitette still didn't like it.

"Gwen Maria Kelling put me down _right now!_" The reaction prompted a laugh from the entire team. Grinning Gwen did as told, only to shoot Yang a quick special half grin. She glanced toward her cousin then back again. Yang ignored the way her heart skipped a beat at the grin, the one that showed off those blood red fangs only to her, and grinned back. Blake and Ruby paled and backed away.

"Up'n'at'em princess!" Yang cheered, lifting Weiss up and throwing her into a nearby snowback. Gwen fell over cackling, like she hadn't just been dead a few minutes ago. Weiss sputtered in anger as she struggled to get out of the hole she was in. The blonde joined the wolf on the ground as Ruby groaned and walked over to help her girlfriend.

"Right well if you five are done can we get out of here before more White Fang shows up?" Showing various degrees of embarrassment the group headed for the dropship. Yang rolled to her feet and held out a hand to help Gwen up. Grinning the wolf reached up to take it, only to freeze upon spotting the limb reaching out.

Its shape and function was that of a normal human hand. It had taken the place of the section of forearm Raven had cut off in her initial attack. The line between skin and fur started about three inches from her elbow and took a sharp 45 degree downward. Slowly the wolf flexed her fingers, staring wide eyed at them.

"W-what?" Yang frowned and grasped the extended hand. Gwen yelped as suddenly she was being pulled to her feet. "Y-Yang? What's going on? W-what's wrong with me?"

"We'll figure that out later. We need to get out of here," the blonde answered. The wolf gulped and nodded, her joy gone. Yang pursed her lips and gently tugged on the hand still in hers. The fur felt smooth against her skin and the skin was a little cooler to the touch than normal. Even so it wasn't weird. How strange. She would have thought Grimm fur was coarse and their bodies basically ice.

Gwen stumbled after the blonde just like she had earlier in the building. Her dual colored gaze kept staring at her new hand. Yang squeezed the hand in hers and was rewarded with a questioning look. She smiled easily and reassuringly. Even if no one else accepted Gwen because she was part Grimm she would.

"We're all in!" Instantly the door snapped close and they were up in the air. Yang and Gwen were pushed into the medical stations of the ship by a concerned Ruby. She zipped around, looking for the medical supplies.

"Ruby we're fine," Gwen assured quietly, still staring at her hand. "Just aura over use again."

"Then go to sleep the both of you," the scythe wielder answered. Yang was suddenly reminded that she was exhausted and yawned. Gwen cringed at the thought, wondering what hell her sleep would bring.

"I really am part Grimm aren't I?" she whispered absently. Yang scowled. "James knew it. Hell he used it to his advantage. And that woman. She knew as well."

"You said it yourself Gwen," Yang interrupted, leaning into the wolf. She smiled slightly at seeing human ears turning red. "You're not a monster. You have a soul just like anyone else." Arms hesitantly wrapped around her waist. The blonde hummed and moved a little closer, silently encouraging the wolf. With a heavy sigh the taller woman gave in and nuzzled the blonde's cheek again.

"Why didn't I know it?"

"Maybe it has something to do with that missing knowledge? Like some people will repress bad memories subconsciously to protect themselves. Maybe that's what you did."

"I...Yah that does sound reasonable." Gwen suddenly smiled gently at Yang, causing her to blush and look away. The blonde knew this feeling, knew she was falling for the wolf, but it was different than when she had fallen for Blake. There was no pain to this because Gwen didn't have another seeking her attention. "Thanks Dragon."

"No problem Knight." She yawned again, prompting Gwen to pull them down into a lying position. Yang felt her blush get darker and flipped over to bury her face into the wolf's chest. From her quiet corner Ruby grinned and slipped out of the room. One pointed ear flicked toward her but Gwen didn't call the scythe wielder out.

"What happens now?" Gwen whispered into the still air a few minutes later. Yang stirred from her nearly asleep state, mostly because of the fear in the wolf's voice. It was something she would always pick up on, after years of protecting Ruby.

"About?" she prompted softly, ignoring the thoughts racing through her head. The blonde had just realized she had feelings for the wolf and wasn't sure if she was actually read to pursue a relationship.

"I don't know. Everything I guess." Yang hummed and shivered as the somewhat cooler than normal hand of Gwen started absently running through her hair. The touch was still gentle though, not really there but there enough.

"Well the White Fang probably needs a new leader. I don't think they're going to be following your brother anymore."

"He's not my brother. Not anymore. He tried to hurt you. And me. That's not what siblings are supposed to do. Not like that at least."

"Alright. I won't refer to him like that anymore. He'll just be Mr. Kelling now." Gwen made a face that prompted a small laugh from Yang. She snuggled closer. The wolf suddenly made a small noise and closed her eyes, her ears rapidly becoming a deep shade of red. "Gwen?"

"I forgot about...this." She gestured vaguely at herself, eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment.

"Huh?" The small noise sounded again, punctuated by a sharp intake of air.

"My um...heat." Lilac eyes widened and Yang pulled back a little.

"Oh um." The heat that had activated because Gwen had fallen for Yang. The blonde felt her own face burning up and looked away. "Um do ah you want me…" Geez there was no easy way to ask if she wanted the brawler pull away completely was there?

"I don't want you to do anything but stay with me," Gwen mumbled, tone colored with embarrassment. Yang felt her blush deepen and hesitantly moved back to her previous position. The wolf sighed and nuzzled the brawler's cheek once more. "I'm sorry." Twitching with annoyance Yang snapped her head up and flicked the wolf's nose. "Ow hey! What was that for?!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," the blonde stated, jabbing her finger into Gwen's shoulder. The wolf frowned, absently rubbing the tip of her nose. "It's a part of life that this is happening. You can't control it so don't be sorry for it. Understand?" For a second time in the space of a few moments Gwen looked away flushed and embarrassed.

"I understand," she answered quietly. Yang nodded and tucked her head back under Gwen's chin. She yawned and closed her eyes, listening to the wolf's strong heartbeat. After the scare of not feeling a pulse from the taller woman the sound was more soothing than she wanted to admit. "Weiss is gunna come in any second and yell at us to sleep."

"So let's do that. People think clearly after sleeping anyway."

"Oh. Okay. Good night Dragon." Yang grinned.

"Night Knight." A small groan of annoyance caused her grin to grow wider.

"They went to sleep cub," Lumi stated, pushing Weiss back into her seat gently. Fuming slightly the fencer did as bid and glared at the wall across from her. Ruby chuckled and wrapped her arms around her irritated girlfriend. The older cat Faunus shook her head. "Feisty one ya are."

"Lumi you're going to make it worse," Blake warned. Stormy blue eyes swung to her. The ninja patted the spot beside her, trying to look normal. With a heavy sigh the freelancer limped over. Both of them were trying to ignore the fact that they had just overheard Gwen saying she was in heat.

**A/N Did you really think I was going to kill off Gwen so easily? Denied! Although don't have your girlfriend read the troll chapter when she's over. She ends up punching you _**

**Quick note. Been thinking about this a lot and it kinda just sparked because of how I wrote some of Lumi's thoughts. I will be making a story explaining that in greater detail and why Raven knows who Lumi is. But not here. I'll just hint at it here. That story might take over in priority to the high school AU I want to do. I don't know yet. We'll see. **

**Anyway ciao people!**


	20. Release - Revised

Things were not going well right now. Okay well maybe that was a bit of an overstatement. It was just she didn't know what the fuck to do is all. At least she wasn't alone with that.

Yang sighed and launched another rock across the water. It skipped merrily away and pegged the stuck Grimm on the other side of the river. The Ursa growled but she paid it no mind. Three giant boulders and Nora breaking its legs assured her the thing wouldn't move.

The blonde searched for another skipping stone blankly. She was out here to arrange her thoughts but wasn't having any luck so far. Maybe talking to someone _would _have helped.

She still had feelings for Blake that much was true but they were dwindling, rapidly so. It hadn't hurt to watch Sun run up all worried about the ninja. In fact it was almost amusing, like watching Ruby and Weiss fumble around with being a couple. But it still hurt to watch them to kiss and hug. Not nearly as bad as before though.

Then there were her growing feelings for Gwen that were returned. The wolf had distanced herself from the brawler when they got to Beacon which was understandable. She was irritated with the timing of her body and also confused on just how to deal with the situation she was in. Noble to a fault Gwen didn't want to drag Yang into the mix. Not until she knew things better herself she had said in a low embarrassed mumble.

Yang sighed and flopped down on the riverbank, staring up at the sky. She and Gwen were in the middle of doing that awkward dance people will do when they know the other likes them and they like the other back but neither is quite sure how to take the next step. The wolf's heat didn't help any, probably made it worse. Nor did the fact she was Corrupted and kept expecting her aura to act out of her control now. So far it hadn't.

"Ya know Blake claims you energetic." Lumi's voice broke the silence and her thoughts. Yang sat up and turned to face the tree the older cat Faunus was in. "But I ain't see sign of that. What's eatin' ya cub?"

"Why do you keep calling everyone but Velvet and Gwen cub?" the blonde dodged. Lumi frowned and dropped out of her tree, strolling over casually.

"Snow leopards call their likkle ones cubs. Gwen 'n' Velvet aren't cubs though."

"Wouldn't Blake be kitten then?" Lumi puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. Yang laughed slightly at the sight. "How long have you been hiding in the trees?"

"Not long. Ya just got a feeling of bein' confoosed."

"Why do you talk like that?"

"Dunno. Just do. Ya dodging stuff cub." Yang scowled and Lumi smirked. She plucked a random stone off the bank and skipped it across the river. "C'mon spill. Won't tell nobody what ya say. Promise." The blonde studied the cat Faunus as she waited, absently pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Bah don't judge. Roll em myself. Ain't want that nicotine crap."

"You roll your own cigarettes."

"Yup."

"Any reason that you smoke?"

"Calms me," Lumi said softly, lighting the cigarette in her mouth. Yang raised an eyebrow. "All ya gotta do is breath. In'n'out, nice'n'simple. Plus it totally goes with my badass image." The cat Faunus gestured to the massive pistols strapped to her legs and to her duster with a cheeky smirk.

"How old are you?"

"Bout the same age as yer...mom." Yang cringed and looked away. Lumi breathed out slowly, blowing smoke into the air.

"Did you know her?" the blonde finally asked in a low voice. Lumi hummed, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Somewhat. We was on opposite sides of the law. Still are 'parently."

"Can...can you tell me about her? Even if it's just a little bit!" Her heart was racing. Finally, _finally _she might get some knowledge about her mom. How the woman acted, some of her morals...what drove her to leave Yang behind.

"S'long ya promise to talk bout what's eatin' ya cub," Lumi answered. Yang cringed again and looked away. She was at a cross roads. She didn't want to appear weak to anyone but also wanted information on her mom. Information her dad and uncle never would share. The cat Faunus sighed. "Look cub it's spill now or burst later. Which do ya want?"

"Fine. But you have to answer my questions first," Yang finally gave in. Lumi smiled softly and motioned for the questions to start. The blonde hesitated. There was so many things she wanted to know but Lumi might not know it all. "How did you two meet?"

"Ha! That story! Probably why she hates me now!" Shaking her head the cat Faunus laid back on the ground, hands behind her head. Yang watched nervously. "Was a little younger than you then cub. Thought I was gunna die then too."

_**Too Many Years to Figure Out Ago…**_

"_So the op is distract them Hunters while we grab'n'go. Think ya got that?"_

"_Course I does! Stop doubtin' me brother." Lumi pouted, arms crossed over her chest and cheeks puffed out, glaring off to the side. Her actions caused her to get a fist to the top of her head. "Ow! Fuck! Whatcha do tat for?!"_

"_Focus. Go do yer part." Scowling the cat Faunus stalked off, mumbling threats under her breath. Her tail twitched angrily behind her, sometimes brushing against the grimy bricks of the alleyway. She cringed at the feeling and finally focused, clambering up the fire escape with ease. _

_The building wasn't high up but it would serve their purposes. Even if the Hunters didn't try to stop her downward descent the call of an ambulance would be enough of a distraction. She was willing to bet the team would though. Her brothers assured of this and while she may not quite like them she trusted them. They had never steered her wrong before. _

_Lumi crouched low and peered over the edge of the building. Faunus committing suicide wasn't all too unheard of. They usually tried to do it quietly though. Not her. She was trying to make a distraction and actually not die in the process. Taking a deep breath she let go of her instincts and stood up, balancing precariously on the building's edge. Her rounded ears twitched and flattened against her head. She wouldn't speak, not to the curious citizens below. _

"_Someone help she's going to jump!" That was one of her brothers, the only one of the four that could pull off not being a Faunus. He could speak without the siblings' odd accent and you only knew he was blind if you plugged his ears. Concerned cries instantly rose up, but it was all fake. All of it. Even the Hunters' attention on her. Tears sprung to her eyes and not totally because it would sell the story more. _

"_Shudda up! Shudda up all of ya! Yer fack lousy fuckers!" She crouched again, this time judging the distance to the ground. Or maybe she would pitch herself head first off the building._

_More concern. It was making her sick to her stomach. Lumi rubbed a hand over her eyes and focused on her task. Briefly she wondered if her two other brothers were done gathering food yet. Either way she had to jump.  
><em>

_"I said shudda up!" Gulping nervously the cat Faunus steeled herself and pushed off from the rooftop. Her stomach dropped instantly and she shuddered. What if she really did die here? Too late for doubts now. "Ow fuck." Her downward descent had ended too soon._

_Beneath her was a glyph. Shaking her head Lumi looked toward the Hunters, noting their poses and positions. The one her brothers called Summer had her rapier out and was pointing it at her. She scowled and scanned for the other female on the team._

_There, on the railing. She was balancing on the metal with ease, red eyes narrowed. But she wasn't trying to fake her concern like the other three. Lumi judged the distance between her spot and the one called Raven. Behind the Huntress was the bay. Cats couldn't swim and Lumi was no exception. In fact she loathed water with a burning passion. She was a snow leopard Faunus. She belonged in the snow._

_Steeling herself the cat Faunus pushed off, angling herself at Raven and the bay behind her. Shock rang in her ears but she didn't care. The Hunters hadn't let her die by jumping so they probably wouldn't let her die by drowning either. So really it was no surprise she heard the two males of the team yelling for people to get the hell out of the way. Lumi grinned as she slammed into Raven, dragging the two down into the water._

_Lumi sputtered in shock and kicked as an arm wrapped tight around her torso. She was really starting to panic now. Water and her lack of swimming skills did that to her. There were two splashes following the pair and then more hands, pushing them up. Well the distraction had been made. Now she just needed to get the hell away from the Hunters. Easier said than done._

_"Lemme go ya likkle fake fuckers!" She thrashed wildly and kicked out. She got a grunt of pain and grinned triumphantly. Then another glyph appeared, lifting the group up out of the water and onto the sidewalk. The tight grip on her torso hadn't lessened any._

_"While you give it a rest already?!" a voice snapped in her ear. The cat Faunus froze for a brief moment which slackened the grip around her a little. Instantly she thrashed free and barreled her way through the crowd, rubbing water and tears out of her eyes. It was all fake, all of it. So why had that voice been colored so much with concern?_

_**Back to the Present**_

Yang stared in shock as Lumi finished her tale. The cat Faunus was glaring at the water like it was the same water from her memory. She shivered and pulled the duster closer, grumbling softly about something under her breath. The simple, scared motion jolted Yang out of her shock and she fought the urge to be the big sister.

"You tried committing suicide as a distraction?"

"Aye."

"But you could have gotten help!"

"Not then cub. Not then. Times be changin' now. Ya humans don't hate my kind so much anymore." Yang cringed and looked away. Sometimes she didn't like the fact she was human. It made Faunus wary of her. Kind of like how everyone assumed Faunus were trouble makers just because of the White Fang. The Faunus had it so much worse than her simple problem. "Anything else ya wanna know?"

Yang thought about the question for a moment. Yes there was a lot of things she wanted to know about her mom but Lumi couldn't be able to answer everything. She didn't actually know the woman. Still she did know some things. But that could be saved for a later date. And maybe she could ask Lumi to talk to her uncle about spilling the beans.

"If you knew my mom you knew my uncle," the blonde finally stated. Lumi sighed and groaned, nodding her head. "Could you maybe talk to him about telling me more about her? He's never said anything about her."

"Ha! Tat shouldn't be any problem. Bird Boy was crazy 'bout me!" The cat Faunus chuckled and raised her hand to the sky. It was only then that Yang noticed the simple ring on her finger. It was silver, darkened slightly by age, with two symbols carved into it. One was Qrow's own symbol and the other was three little squiggly lines stacked on one another. Lumi clenched her fist and brought the ring down to her lips. Her eyes were a little pained. "Course...we lost contact years ago."

"Please?"

"Ya don't have ta beg cub. I'll do wat I can. No promises though. Tendency to get pissed at him."

"Really? He's always so calm and you don't seem like the person to get mad at calmness."

"Years ago cub years ago. Goin' off years ago. Back then thought everybody just fake'n'shit like tat. Hunters were tha worse." Yang fell silent. It was rare to be able to talk to a Faunus from just a few short decades ago. Most were dead, by suicide or beating, and the few still alive didn't _want _to talk about those things. "So what's been eatin' yah?"

The blonde swallowed nervously. Now came the moment of truth. If she could just let go of her desire to appear strong all the time this wouldn't be a problem. There was also the small matter that Lumi was Blake's adoptive mom. She had no idea how the older cat Faunus would react to the fact Yang hadn't acted upon her first crush.

Warm arms suddenly encircled the brawler. Yang stiffened in the embrace. It wasn't like Gwen's which was loose enough to break free from if she so desired. This was tight and supportive, soothing even. Like how Summer had held her after she fell down that one time. The blonde choked as tears started forming.

"Ya ain't gotta say a thing 'til yer ready cub," Lumi whispered softly. Yang shuddered and just gave in. It wasn't like her to give but somehow this weird motherly embrace was enough. Like a silent reassurance that only they would know what had happened here. The thing a mom would do.

_Blake was lucky to have Lumi growing up. I wondered why she never mentioned her before just recently. _The absent thought drifted through Yang's mind as she broke down for the first time in her life. Everything just finally was released. Her mom's absence, Summer's death, being there for Ruby when her dad shut down, her crush on Blake that would never grow...all of it. It was so strange to the blonde to let these emotions free in the presence of another and so strongly. Usually it was just a few tears in the shower when it got to be just a little too much. Nothing like this.

Finally, _finally _Yang's tears dried but she didn't pull away. It _was _soothing, being in this kind of embrace. Lumi watched her carefully, concern in her eyes. The blonde sighed and closed her eyes. This situation was so peaceful.

The beep of a scroll broke that silence.

Yang grumbled softly, reaching for the device. She hastily wiped away the tear trails and read the message that had been sent. Ruby had suddenly become a lot more aware of when her sister wanted to be seen and when she didn't want to be. Smiling slightly the blonde almost laughed to herself. Uncle Qrow had come to Beacon in a flurry of concern and scythe. He had even dragged their dad along.

"Looks like you'll be reunited with Uncle Qrow sooner than you expected Lumi," the brawler chuckled, passing over the scroll. The cat Faunus' tail twitched and her eye developed a tick to it. Yang chuckled again, rubbing at her eyes some more. "Did you ever like him back?" The freelance looked up in horror.

"As if! Likkle brat nearly took me tail off with tat blasted scythe!" Said tail curled up into the woman's lap as she mumbled death threats with annoyance. She was pouting again and Yang had remind herself that the woman was as old as her uncle and dad. "Urk fine. Rather deal with him now than later." She jumped to her feet and offered a hand out to the blonde. Yang grinned and took it.

The two made their way out of the forest and back toward Beacon. While the blonde didn't get to talk about what was really bothering her it had felt really nice to just release all her pent up emotions. Maybe now she could think clearly about things and figure out just what the next step was.

"Wolves are loyal ones," Lumi suddenly said, pulling out another cigarette. Yang blinked in shock and stared at the older woman. "Noble ta fault too. If yer afraid of tha pup hurting ya...don't. She ain't got it in her. Unless ya hurt her."

"That's not quite it," the blonde muttered softly. She cringed slightly when a rounded ear twitched at her but thankfully Lumi didn't say anything more. Yang chewed her lip in thought. She knew Gwen wasn't willing to drag her into figuring out her own body. Knew the wolf would...well die for her. Knew that she was starting to like the wolf back just as much as the taller woman liked her. But just how much did Gwen really like her?

"_Funny thing about Kellings. Our heat doesn't activate until we fall in love for the first time." _The brawler scowled as James' voice rang through her head. They had left him in that base and the tracer was still going strong, surprisingly for having his arm cut off. It had moved to another spot, closer and more eastward of Summer's gravestone. They hadn't told Gwen yet. They weren't sure how much she remembered of that time.

Did Gwen really truly...love her? It was a terrifying thought. Hell did the wolf even know what love was? She had been five when her life went to hell and her brother wasn't exactly the best example. But the wolf had torn through most of the library's fiction section once Blake introduced her to it. Surely the topic of love had come up then. Right?

Yang sighed and rubbed her temples as Beacon came into view. Now was the time to push everything aside. If she was brutally honest with herself she didn't want to. She wanted to stay away and think for a while longer. Everyone needed a little time to themselves.

"Here. Ya need to talk or just release then call me." Lumi pressed a slip of paper into Yang's hand and gave her a small smile. "Ya still need some time. I can tell. I'll go play distraction. Be 'n adventure'n'half. If that scythe comes out…" The cat Faunus trailed off, tail twitching annoyance. Yang laughed and threw her arms around the freelancer in a hug.

"Thank you," the brawler breathed. Lumi returned the hug with a brief squeeze before Yang stepped back, stubbornly trying to fight her tears. All the time she had been alive she had never expected someone to offer comfort and give her space at the same time.

Yang watched the cat Faunus walk off, hands shoved into her pockets and cigarette dangling loosely from her lips. _She's just missing a cowboy hat _the brawler thought with a small smile. She turned in the opposite direction and let her feet take her where they would. She was just kind of wandering at this point.

By some dumb luck she found Gwen.

The wolf was kneeling in a small clearing, legs folded neatly under her and hands clasped on her knees. Yang couldn't see her expression from this angle but the blonde was willing to bet it was intense concentration. Smoky black aura swirled and danced around the whitette, murky and undefined. As the brawler watched it started taking shape, the curved blade bone white with red markings on the back. Slowly Gwen reached out and grasped her sword with her left hand. That was currently wrapped up in bandages to hide the black skin and black fur. If she squinted Yang could see the pulsing tattoos bleed through at their brightest.

Gwen stood slowly, holding the sword easily in her hand. Yang wondered what the wolf was doing. She was right handed so why...oh. It suddenly made sense. She was trying to draw attention away from her Corrupted features by putting focus onto her blade and at a distance you couldn't tell the bandages were there. The blonde twitched as she watched her friend run through the basic motions of swordplay, recognizing Pyrrha's teachings instantly. It annoyed her that Gwen thought she needed to hide things about herself.

"Why are you hiding it?" Yang called out, causing the wolf to jump in shock and spin around. Somewhere in the spin the sword had switched hands and had become straighter and double edged. Gwen relaxed slightly upon seeing who it was and let the sword disappear. The brawler blinked. "That's pretty handy. But really Gwen what are you doing?" She stalked up to the taller woman, mindful not to get too close because of the wolf's heat.

"I um well I thought maybe I could reform my claymore and try using it while I was in control," the woman answered in a rush, looking away. Yang frowned and waited. "That's not what you're asking about is it?" She shook her head. Gwen sighed and looked at her bandaged hand. The faint light was more rapid now. "I don't want people to hate me just on sight because of...this." She gestured to the hidden limb with a pained expression.

"You shouldn't have to be worried what other people think of you Gwen. If they can't look past what's outside to see that you're a good person inside then they don't deserve to have your concern. Alright?" The wolf opened and closed her mouth multiple times before giving up and nodding sheepishly. Yang smiled and hesitantly brushed her fingers against the woman's cheek.

She didn't know what she was expecting as a reaction. Maybe some sort of aroused reaction, given the wolf was in heat. Or jumping back in alarm, fervently asking to not do that right now. She would be fine with any of that. But when Gwen locked eyes with the brawler the wide, dual colored gaze brimming with love sparked an overwhelming urge to kiss the wolf. Yang was shocked. She hadn't thought her side of the crush wasn't to that point yet.

"C-Can I ask you something?" Gwen's hesitant voice broke the moment and Yang was relieved. She wasn't ready for that. She just wasn't.

"As long as it doesn't involve illegal stuff," the blonde answered easily with a small grin. Gwen fervently shook her head.

"I...I was wondering if you would accompany me to the dance on Saturday," the woman answered, scuffing the ground with her foot. Yang felt her heart skip a beat. Okay that was new. She had been asked to dances before but not with actual meaning behind the words.

"As long as you go without these," she whispered, running her fingers across the bandages. Gwen gulped and looked troubled but slowly she nodded. The motion picked up speed and Yang couldn't help but grin. "It'll be okay Gwen. We'll get through this together." Those words were usually directed at Ruby. It felt...different to let another hear them but the gentle smile Gwen gave her was worth it.

"Thank you Dragon." Damn it felt nice to hear that again.

"You're welcome Knight."

**A/N Fixed a few things up and tried making things a little clearer. I think my original problem with writing this chapter was that I was never in this situation. No one in my family knew I was crushing on my girlfriend and I didn't mention it to any of my friends (apparently I flirted a lot but I don't remember consciously doing so). So I just worked out my own thoughts and the same day I decided to ask her out my girlfriend asked me out first XD Great minds think alike.**


	21. Confession Confrontation - Revised

Blake was finally able to talk to Yang alone. Weiss had taken Gwen out clothes shopping again, this time on the hunt of something for the dance. Ruby and Qrow had attracted a crowd in the sparing halls as the two scythe wielders clashed against each other. Lumi was nowhere near the pair after her tail had nearly been taken off _again_. No one was quite sure where the half-sisters' dad had disappeared too.

But that was all besides the point. The cat Faunus had her partner in a room with just the two of them and it was time to get to the bottom of Yang's feelings for her. Blake had been looking for the right time to confront her partner about said feelings and now was probably the only time to do so. _Before _the brawler and the wolf got too serious into their relationship so that way any possible remnant feelings wouldn't cause any problems.

Yang was blissfully unaware of Blake's intentions. That morning she had woken up, realized that yesterday _wasn't _a dream, and she was indeed going to the dance with Gwen. She was still a little giddy. Somewhere in the night her emotions for the wolf had gotten stronger and now all her idly thoughts were about the taller woman. Especially the upcoming dance. Maybe she could act on that urge from yesterday.

"Hey Yang can I talk to you?" Blake's questioning voice brought the brawler out of her daze. She turned to her partner, instantly taking note of the serious expression. Yang pulled herself up into a sitting position and put aside her scroll. Amber eyes watched her every move and the ninja took a deep breath before continuing. "Why didn't you ever act on your feelings for me?"

Yang sucked in a quick breath, lilac eyes going wide with shock. A swirl of emotions danced across her face and Blake waited patiently. The foremost was shock, then embarrassment, a flash of anger, before it all melted to a tired expression the cat Faunus had only ever seen once on the blonde. When she had told the story of her desperate drive to find her mom and how it nearly resulted in the half-sisters' deaths.

"You knew?" The response was meek and scared, something that seemed terribly out of place for the brawler. Blake sighed and nodded. "How?"

"You have a unique way of flirting. Teasing and care." A small smirk that got a small smile in return. "I only really first noticed it at the dance our freshmen year. You were smiling when you let Sun dance with me but there was pain in your eyes. After that it was always there when you saw the two of us." Yang cringed and looked away, the pain that Blake had spoken of now showing through. But it was muted somewhat now. Because of Gwen? The blackette didn't know.

"So you knew for three years and didn't think to confront me about this before?"

"In the middle of the war is hardly the time to bring this up. And before that well you know how preoccupied I was." Yang did know all too well. Hell it had crossed the brawler's mind more than once to give up her position as a Hunter to continue her desperate search for her mom. Like Blake had once claimed they couldn't waste time in class when they should be looking for Torchwick. Now she was glad she hadn't. "You still haven't answered my question."

Yang breathed out heavily and turned her gaze to the ceiling. Blake had known all along. The thought made her cringe a little and get a little angry. It took two to be a couple so Blake could have taken the steps herself. But what if she wasn't into girls at all? That factored so much into it. Yang let out another breath and started explaining.

"Honestly? I didn't know how to take the next step," she said softly. Almost too softly but luckily Blake had taken to not wearing her bow in the dorm room. Now amber eyes widened slightly. "I've had crushes before but nothing like what I felt for you. Those ones were more of 'mmm yah you're sexy'. With you it was different." An awkward silence filled the room. Finally Blake cleared her throat and prompted her partner into explaining in greater detail.

"How so?" she asked quietly. A brief pained smile danced over the brawler's lips who was still staring at the ceiling.

"I wanted to hold you close. I wanted to cuddle with you and just do those mindless sappy couple things. I wanted to go on actual dates with you as opposed to going to a party, getting drunk, and dancing the night away. Never felt that way before I fell for you."

"So you had no idea what to do?" A small pained chuckle rose into the air.

"Yah. When I offered up that dance was the closest I ever got to asking you out. Dancing I know. Dancing I can do. And making people happy." Her voice had dropped to a low whisper and lilac eyes had closed. Blake resisted the urge to pull the blonde into a hug. "So when Sun came up I let him have you. Being with him made you happy. And seeing you happy...well it made me happy...but it did hurt that I wasn't the reason."

"Sun and I didn't start dating until a few weeks after that," Blake reminded gently. Yang's jaw clenched ever so slightly.

"I know. I know. But whenever you'd think of that night you'd get a happy little daze on your face. I teased you about that remember?" She did and she also remembered the slight pain in Yang's eyes every time the cat Faunus said she was thinking about the dance. "Every time it was always the fun you had with Sun and on occasions Neptune. I guess that told me that….that I wasn't...wasn't who you wanted. To make you happy." Her voice was pained but not choked like Blake had read about in her books. Maybe it was because Yang and Gwen could very well be a couple by the end of the week?

"And now?" she prompted after a few moments of silence. The frown of pain became replaced with a gentle smile and Yang finally opened her eyes again. Blake sucked in a quick breath. There was happiness there, in those lilac orbs, the same kind of happiness Sun looked at her with during special moments. Moments when it felt like they were the only two in the whole damn world.

"Now I've finally accepted that," the blonde answered. Blake cringed a little. She had never meant to hurt her partner and friend like this. "Now I can look at you and Sun and know you've both found a happiness I can't be a part of with each other. And it's okay now. I have a knight in bone white armor to share my..._our_ own happiness with each other." Yang was blushing again but she didn't care. The cat Faunus smiled with relief.

"You never did explain why you and Gwen started calling each other Dragon and Knight." The blonde's blush got darker and she stopped looking at the ceiling to turn her face away from Blake's questioning gaze. The blackette smirked.

"That's classified information."

"Really Yang?"

"Yup. Are you trying to tell me you and Sun don't have pet names for each other?" Now it was Blake's turn to blush and Yang's turn to grin as the tables were turned. "Oh ho! So you two _do _have nicknames for each other! You wanna share Blakey?"

"That's classified information," the ninja shot back. Yang laughed and for the first time it didn't sound pained following the topic of Blake's and Sun's relationship. The brawler really had moved on. Blake frowned a little and cringed, mentally wondering why the hell she was going to say what she was next. It would probably only hurt the blonde more than needed. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you about this sooner Yang." Lilac eyes were gentle and reassuring as Yang turned to her friend.

"It's cool. Like you said a warzone isn't really the place to bring this up. And besides things might have been different between me and Gwen if you had. I might have been dating someone else." There was no fake tone to Yang's voice. Blake shook her head. "Just...answer me this one thing. Do you like girls?" The cat Faunus blinked in shock and mulled over the question. Yang waited patiently.

"No. I have nothing against it but it's not for me," the ninja finally answered. The brawler smiled and nodded. Blake suddenly got it and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

"Yah. I think it would have been a harder hit to ask you out and be turned down than to let you go to Sun and not say a word for years. At least this way we didn't have to do an awkward dance of being partners who weren't really friends anymore cuz one asked the other out but was turned down." Blake stared at Yang before finally sighing and rubbing her temples.

"You've thought about this a lot haven't you?"

"Ironically about the same length of time you and Sun have been dating." The cat Faunus smacked her forehead with her palm. Yang laughed and pulled her friend into a reassuring hug. "Don't worry about it. It's behind us now. And we're still friends so that's all that matters Alright?"

"You can put these things behind you way too easily you know that?" Yang laughed again and pulled away from the hug. Her eyes were brimming with that special happiness again.

"It's only easy now because I got smacked in the face that yes there are other people I can fall for."

"And they happen to be a knight in shining armor right?" The blonde scowled suddenly.

"Gwen's not a knight in shining armor. She doesn't want to be like that. They're all dicks according to her." Blake shook her head.

"You two are oddballs," she sighed, reaching for her book. Yang grinned and blushed and looked away, a pleased smile dancing on her lips. Blake's lips quirked into a smile at the sight. "But you're perfect for each other in a weird way."

"Gee thanks. Don't get too involved with that book Blake. When Weiss and Gwen get back you and I are going shopping. We should knock our respective dancer partners out on Saturday don't you think?" Blake shook her head exasperated.

"Fine. But only because I'm curious as to what you consider something to knock Gwen out of balance."

"And what's the supposed to mean hmm?" It was light and playful, eyes lighting up with a teasing factor. Blake smiled, happy that her friend was no longer in pain.

"Well I don't think you need to dress to impress with her. She's already your knight." Yang blushed as Blake smirked. "Maybe something that will go with that whole knight and dragon thing you two have going." It was a rare chance to tease the blonde and the ninja was going to seize it.

"Yah maybe," the brawler answered in a low embarrassed mumble. Blake's smirk grew a little more and she turned back to her book. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence that seemed brand new to the pair. Neither mentioned it but they both knew it was because Yang had finally become okay with Blake and Sun dating.

**A/N Short chapter but heavy in content I think. This conversation needed to happen before the dance, mostly yes because of the reason I had Blake bring it up in the first place. Plus I really just wanted to dangle the prospect of the dance in front of you guys a little bit longer. But have no fear! Next chapter for sure is the dance!**


	22. Storybook Ending - Revised

Gwen shifted her weight nervously on her feet as she fumbled with the buttons of her shirt. The stark white material was just a little snug, not enough to worry about ripping at the seams but enough to give a taunting hint as to her muscles. Weiss had picked it out with Coco's help, along with the pants, vest, and tie. The wolf hadn't wanted to wear a tuxedo to the dance after the first one fell off the top rack directly onto her. Her cousin had no luck convincing her that inanimate objects couldn't jump off racks and that it was the effect of gravity, not a desire to kill the wolf.

Sighing with relief Gwen managed to finish up the buttons and popped the collar of her shirt. She slipped the tie around her neck, glancing quickly at the how-to guide pulled up on her scroll. The golden material felt the same as it did in her left hand as it did her right. She kept expecting there to be a difference because of the simple fact her left arm was technically Corrupted.

Gwen sucked in a breath and ran her mantra through her head. After learning she was in fact part-Grimm it had become her best friend. Oddly enough when she wasn't focused on that her aura didn't slip from her control and she could smile easily. Maybe everyone was right? Maybe just because she was part-Grimm didn't make her any different from the rest?

"Just because I'm a half-Faunus doesn't make me different either," the wolf mumbled to herself, pointed ears twitching. She could hear Ruby fumbling with her own tie in the other room, her's being a black and red polka dotted bow tie. The scythe wielder refused to wear dresses on account of the burn scars that decorated what was still skin of her right arm and the scars that spread from the right side of her torso. Gwen had never seen the scars but she understood the desire to hide them.

The wolf sighed again and undid her failed attempt to tie her tie. She spared a quick glance at her left hand, noting that her marks were pulsing somewhat faster than normal. So her heart rate was up. It was still a little weird that the marks glowed stronger and fainter with her heart but kind of cool at the same time. If anything it was a visual reassurance to Yang that Gwen's heart was still beating.

Gwen cringed at the thought. She was starting to remember all the times she had blacked out, beginning with the most recent and working backwards. Taking off her brother's arm had caused her a sort of twisted pleasure and she wasn't sure if he was dead or alive. Probably dead, what with that explosion. But Yang had been so relieved when the wolf had asked her why she was crying just because of the simple fact she was _alive._ Gwen knew her body, knew her scars, knew her wounds, and knew by all rights she should be dead..._again. _She wasn't sure how she managed to return to life the first time but she knew this time it was because her aura had pulled the excess energy from Yang's aura and sparked her semblance back into gear.

Grinning triumphantly Gwen let the tie drop into place. The Pratt Knot was intensely more simple than the Windsor Knot Weiss had mentioned and the wolf was thankful for that. She could barely tie her shoes without getting her fingers caught in the laces and her cousin had dragged Yang and Blake over to team JNPR's dorm to get ready. It was by some mutual agreement that the five couples were going to meet up at the dance with their respective partners. So Jaune and Ren had claimed the bathroom, Sun was cursing at his so called neck trap in Blake's room, and Ruby was getting ready in the room she and Weiss shared. Gwen slid the little sword tie clip into place and reached for the next item on the list of essentials Weiss had picked out.

The former heiress still liked people to dress sharp for dances and Gwen had picked up on that. But she still wasn't going in a tux. So the small...cuff links? Yah that was it. They seemed a little out of place but not terribly so. The metal was almost the same dark gold as her tie with little red gems set into them. Gwen thought they reminded her of the dragon's eyes from her death hallucination and Weiss had explained Yang's eye color swap to the wolf. She had been surprised at that, wondering instantly at what she had said back in the White Fang base that made Yang angry but pushed it aside. That was something that could be brought up later, when the memory wasn't so fresh and painful.

Gwen reached for the black vest and did up those buttons, happy at their larger size. It made them easier to deal with. She had decided against a hat because of how it made her ears be painfully pressed against her head. Thankfully after being told that Coco hadn't pressed the issue although it was clear her fashion side said it would add to the look. So now there the wolf was, all dressed up to go to a dance, Corrupted arm unbandaged and out for the world to see. If one bothered to do more than a quick glance at least. Gwen hadn't rolled up the sleeves of her shirt simply because of the horrified expression on Weiss' face at Coco's suggestion. Although that was a little funny.

Taking a deep breath the wolf left her room and entered the common area of the dorm. Jaune and Ren were already there and she had to hold in a sneeze at the faint scent of aftershave. Both wore matching suits but Jaune's dress shirt was the same red that was Pyrrha's hair and Ren was wearing a brilliant pink shirt. They were all pretty sure Nora had picked it out but neither of the two said yah or nah about the claim. Hell they weren't sure if Nora and Ren were actually together together yet but maybe they had been all along and Nora was just trying to fool everyone.

"Nice look. I thought Weiss helped you pick it out?" the leader of JNPR prompted, glancing over Gwen's outfit. The wolf fought the urge to hid her Corrupted arm behind her back, especially when the man's gaze landed on it briefly. But Jaune spared it no more time than the rest of the woman's body and something in Gwen slumped with relief at that.

"Coco was there. And I swear tuxedos are trying to kill me," the whitette answered with a small nervous chuckle. Jaune chuckled in agreement.

"I hear you. I got stabbed in the neck earlier by this thing." He tugged at his dress shirt and Ren sighed.

"That was because you forgot to take the pins out." Gwen laughed softly at Jaune's pout. Her pointed ear flicked back as Sun wandered into the room. "Are you going to ever button up your shirt?" She turned, greeted by the sight of Sun in his normal jeans but with a black button up that wasn't buttoned and a white tie around his neck.

"Blake is making me wear a tux for prom," the monkey Faunus responded sheepishly. "Until then I get to do this." He gestured to his outfit.

"That's the same outfit you wore to the freshman dance."

"Exactly."

"Weiss is going to kill you."

"Nah I'll devote her attention away with my stunning looks," Ruby grinned, walking into the room. She too wore a black suit with a red dress shirt. The little cuff links were silver metal with light blue gems and her arm guard had been polished up to a dull shine. Penny had offered to put a skin colored coating over the metal for her friend but the scythe wielder had ultimately declined. The silver metal served as a daily reminder to not rush in blindly for the woman. "We all ready to go?"

"Yup," Jaune answered as the others nodded. Sun kept tugging at his tie. "Question is our partners at the dance."

"Gwen can you call Weiss and ask?" The wolf nodded and retreated back to her room to make the call. She fired off a quick message to her cousin and waited, tapping her foot with nerves. Sure she knew how to dance relatively well, she was a fast learner and a devote trainee. But really how much did three lessons actually do? Well she'd find out soon wouldn't she?

'_We're here. Please hurry I'm not sure how long we can keep Nora away from the refreshment table and I don't think Ren wants to deal with her being hyped up on sugar.' _Gwen chuckled nervously and returned to the four waiting in the other room. She nodded and together they made their way to the dance like so many other people around them. Almost everyone was with their date for the night as they made their way to the dance. If not then teams went together as friends, laughing and joking.

The best part was that along the way the five spotted Team CRDL. The four men weren't allowed to the dance after they decided to pick on a freshmen team made entirely of Faunus. Except these Faunus were the kind of people that if you gave them shit they gave it right back. CRDL sported bruises, cuts, and Cardin had one arm in a sling. On top of that they had to clean the grounds while everyone was at the dance, followed around by a very pleased Goodwitch. The freshmen did have to serve some sort of punishment but being the DJs at the dance hardly seemed like a punishment at all. They were even allowed to have fun with it.

"Reeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnn!" Nora came charging out of the crowd and tackle hugged her date for the night. Ren was sighing even as he braced himself for impact. It seemed that keeping the hyperactive woman out of the sugar had failed.

Pyrrha came running up as the two fell to the floor, Nora laughing and Ren sighing heavily. She was out of breath and looked a little apologetic at their failed attempt. With Jaune's help they managed to get their teammates back to their feet where Nora kept dancing around Ren with a speed to match Ruby's semblance. Just another normal day for Team JNPR.

Sun had disappeared into the crowd, seeking out Blake. Gwen gulped nervously and scanned the crowd, her height giving her something of an advantage. It didn't help at all when Ruby spotted Weiss first and tugged the wolf away from the other team. Where Weiss was Yang probably was too. Or at least close by.

"I think you broke her cus," Gwen said with a slight grin as Ruby finally took in what her girlfriend was wearing fully. Weiss hummed and smiled even as she blushed faintly. The shorter whitette slid up to her girlfriend, dress ruffling slightly with the motion.

Weiss wore a simple white sheath dress that went all the way to the floor and hugged her features nicely. Gloves of the same color stretched up to her elbow and a red rose was woven neatly into the braid bun Pyrrha had done up for the fencer. It was different for the whitette and brought attention to the faint white tattoo of the woman's symbol that sat innocently in between her neck and her left shoulder blade. Ruby had a matching one of her own symbol in the same place but red in color. The entire team did, each their respective symbol and with the color they were comfortable with. They all blamed Yang for getting them drunk at some point during the war.

"I think you're right Gwen," the fencer laughed softly as she cupped her girlfriend's cheek with one hand. Ruby finally pulled herself out of her daze and smiled warmly at the shorter woman, leaning down to kiss her. She reached up and gently grasped the fingers on her face in hers, squeezing lightly. Weiss hummed softly, prompting Gwen to turn away to give them some privacy.

Her dual colored gaze promptly landed on Yang and now it was her turn to be stunned.

The blonde's dress was the same dark golden as the wolf's tie and shimmered slightly in the right light. It was a modified a-line with white ribbon wrapped around her waist and at the top of the dress. Stitched into the ribbon around Yang's waist in red was the Grimm symbol for dragon. The brawler had asked the wolf to draw it on a piece of paper, along with the one that meant knight, but hadn't explained why at the time. Yang's hair was pulled back into a low ponytail surprisingly but Gwen didn't mind either way.

"Cat got your tongue Knight?" the brawler teased, sliding up to the wolf. Gwen watched her with wide stunned eyes, almost not reacting. Yang smiled softly, fighting the urge to brush her lips against the taller woman's cheek. Slowly the wolf reached up, fingers shaking with nerves and touched the blonde's cheek. It made Yang's heart skip a beat when their skin made contact, doubly so when she realized it was Gwen's Corrupted hand.

"Beautiful," the wolf breathed. Her tone was soft and gentle, almost prayer like and now the blonde was blushing. A slow grin spread over Gwen's lips, showing off the blood red fangs and Yang fought the urge to kiss the woman again.

"You're pretty dashing yourself Gwen. Here." She reached back and undid the white ribbon that held her hair in its ponytail. Stitched onto it in the same red color as the other symbol was the Grimm symbol for knight. Gwen watched curiously as Yang tied the ribbon around her Corrupted hand, the symbol resting against her palm.

"This is why you wanted me to draw those symbols?" Yang nodded, her blush darkening slightly. Gwen smiled, hesitated briefly, then brought the blonde's fingers up to her lips and just barely kissed them. Instantly the brawler's blush got darker. "I didn't know you could sew." There was not a way in hell she could have found ribbons with the symbols already sewn on. Gwen was perhaps the only person alive who could read Grimm.

"Don't be fooled. I stabbed myself with the needle many times while I was doing this." Gwen chuckled, having known that for a while. Her semblance let in on such details. Carefully she slipped her right into Yang's left and the Corrupted one rested easily on the small of the blonde's back.

"May we dance?" she breathed, nerves making her marks pulse a little faster. Yang smiled and rested her free hand on the wolf's shoulder, giving the other a small squeeze.

"Of course my dashing knight." The blonde laughed as the wolf's ears turned a brilliant scarlet, momentarily making her stumble with her balance. But after the embarrassment faded away Yang was pleasantly surprised that Gwen could actually dance. It felt odd to not be leading or doing her own thing but the brawler was content. The moment felt so right, from their ballroom dancing to what she was more used to doing that Gwen needed help on. The night itself was right and she was willing to be she'd think back on it and get the same happy dazed expression Blake did about their freshman dance.

Somewhere in the mix it became apparent that while Gwen did know what she was doing Ruby did not, even if she wasn't technically leading. Yang had laughed heartily at her sister's expense as the scythe wielder kept accidently stepping on Weiss' feet. The wolf only stepped in when it became apparent that bruising would occur, stopping that from occurring with her semblance before letting the couple have at it some more. Blake had delightedly pointed out during the night that her adoptive mom was there and so wasn't the half-sisters' uncle. Lumi was glaring daggers at Qrow the entire time, tail curled protectively into her hands, which caused the usually collected man to fumble around, awkward and blushing. Yang and Ruby shared a grin. They would so get their uncle back for the years of teasing with this.

"Alrighty everyone last dance of the night! Grab your partners and let's have some fun eh?" The crowd responded with a positive roar and someone yelled out thanks for beating up CRDL. "Ah no no no. Sh this is punishment. We're not having fun here. Totally not." From his spot Ozpin chuckled but made no comment, sipping at his coffee mug contently. He watched as all the couples went to the floor for the last dance of the night.

Yang felt her heart thumping in her chest and from the way Gwen was biting her lower lip she could tell the wolf was nervous too. The night had been so so perfect thus far and now it could only get better. They weren't in the center of the dance floor but that was okay. She had Gwen with her and that was all she needed. Yang smiled up at the wolf, getting a special half grin in response.

"You said before that life is a story but doesn't have to be a book," the blonde started simply, just for the sake of doing so. Gwen quirked an eyebrow, a habit Yang didn't even know she had picked up or even where she had.

"I did," she responded with a nod, briefly dipping the blonde.

"When you first thought of asking me to the dance did you expect a storybook ending?" Gwen blushed and shook her head.

"No. I was hoping for some miracle that you would say yes. At the time I wasn't sure if you'd ever return my feelings." The end of the song was coming up and Yang felt that urge start to play up again. She smiled gently at Gwen, slipping the hand on the wolf's shoulder up to the edge of her hairline and letting it rest there. She could do these sorts of things now that the wolf's heat was no longer active.

"And if I told you that you're getting the storybook ending?" Both eyebrows shot upward and Gwen's mouth dropped a little in shock. Yang laughed softly at the look and linked her other hand behind the taller woman's head. Standing on her tip toes she tugged just a little, bringing Gwen's lips down to hers.

It was clumsy and awkward but so complete and warm Yang nearly cried. She smiled when Gwen sucked in a quick breath, blushed when somewhat shaking arms encircled her waist, and sighed happily when the wolf started returning the kiss hesitantly. They had stopped swaying with the music but she didn't care. Yang was kissing Gwen and Gwen was kissing Yang and that was all that mattered right now. That they had both found a happiness that no one else could be a part of and it felt so damn right.

The music ended and so did the moment. Yang pulled back slowly and rested her forehead against Gwen's. The wolf's cheeks were flushed for the first time the blonde ever saw and she could feel her own cheeks were the same. A smile graced her lips as the taller woman fumbled for words, slowly opening her dual colored eyes.

"W-what?" the wolf finally managed to get out. Yang felt her heart drop just a little.

"Storybook ending. You know from the fiction section?" Please just let this be a misunderstanding of what a kiss was please. She didn't think she could survive it if she had misread the entire situation.

"_That _was a kiss?" Lilac eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"What did you think a kiss was?" Yang asked, trying to keep the rising fear out of her voice. Gwen's ears flushed red and she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Slowly the wolf leaned down and nuzzled the brawler's cheek with her nose. The blonde sucked in a quick breath, understanding the situation instantly.

Wolves, the kind that ran around on four legs and were cousins to dogs, couldn't kiss like humans did. They showed affection in other ways. Like nuzzling each other with their noses.

Yang laughed breathlessly, relief washing through her. It was kind of amusing that she had guessed the misunderstanding. Quickly she stood back up, returning the action with a happy little smile before pressing her lips to Gwen's again. A small noise escaped the wolf, the same noise that had come from her the first time the pair had overused their aura. Her arms tightened ever so slightly, pulling Yang flush against her body. The blonde sighed happily again.

"That isn't a kiss?" Gwen asked when they parted again. Yang smiled dazedly up at the wolf and it was returned nervously.

"It's one type of kiss," the blonde assured. Finally the smile was more confident, morphing into the grin that showed off those blood red fangs. Yang hummed happily and settled her head contently just below Gwen's chin. Gwen started to carefully run her fingers through the blonde locks.

"Can you maybe show me the other ways?" Smiling Yang leaned up and kissed the wolf again.

"Only if I get to call you my girlfriend and you do the same in kind." Gwen smiled and nodded, dual colored eyes lighting up with delight.

"Of course my dragon."

**A/N ****So the original plan was that Sun was going to propose to Blake. He would justify it by saying he was scared of the possibility of losing Blake to something like being captured and tortured. This in turn would get Yang mad cuz it was her and Gwen who ended up like that. I was going to have her storm off and then Gwen be really confused and scared, thinking that she had hurt Yang somehow. That led to other conflicts that now won't appear but I don't have the desire to spell all those out for you guys. Not that it matters anyway XD**

**So in the end Yang and Gwen are together sooner than originally planned. Does this spell the end of the story? Hell no. I still got one last part to this before the epilogue. So look forward to that. Ciao!**


	23. The Power to Change the World - Revised

Yesterday had been absolutely wonderful. CDRL had been punished, finally, for their discrimination against Faunus students (there was talk they'd get expelled), Nora had done surprisingly little damage during her sugar high, and then just...everything that had happened with Gwen still made her heart race. Yang still felt the butterflies zipping around in her stomach with how the night ended.

Now if only the day had started just as well.

Gwen was still mumbling to herself as she frantically wrote in that blasted notebook of hers. The wolf had woken them all up with a howl somewhere between pain and anger. She hadn't responded to any of their calls of what was wrong, instead biting down hard on her thumb. The red liquid didn't disappear like it usually did and with her blood she had started drawing out a Grimm symbol on that last blank page.

Ten minutes later she was finally grabbing the pen sitting beside the book and writing things down in the language they could understand.

Yang exchanged glances with her friends and shrugged. She hadn't spent the night with the wolf, having to change out of her dress and then being too tired to make it back to Gwen's room. So the...nightmare that had woken her girlfriend up was just as a mystery to her as it was to them. The blonde hesitated before standing and walking over to the wolf's side.

"Gwen?" The wolf jumped a little as Yang hesitantly rested her hand on the woman's shoulder. Dual colored eyes, narrowed and troubled, peered at her. The blonde smiled weakly, glad that she had gotten this much of a response. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just remembered the thing I was missing," Gwen answered easily. She nodded to the page and briefly scanned over what she had written. Yang frowned.

"You woke us all up by howling in pain."

"I did?" She glanced back to the other three and smiled sheepishly. "Oops. Ah sorry? The memory of when I learned that bit of knowledge is also when I lost my eye." The red of her right eye briefly expanded inward, covering the pupil before returning to its normal state. "It's also the first time I blacked out in a fight."

"So you remember everything now?"

"Yah. Not fun. Not fun at all. James is a sick twisted bastard." The wolf scowled at her desk for a moment before narrowing her eyes at the page and writing the rest of her knowledge down. For a few minutes that silence was only broken by the scratch of pen on paper. Yang watched over Gwen's shoulder, disturbed by what she was reading.

_Grimmstones look precisely like gravestones but with Grimm writing on them, detailing how they were formed, the message they carry, what will activate the message, and for what reason the message is what it is. They are most commonly found in graveyards and at the sites of past conflicts, war or otherwise. The Grimm writing on them will remain dull and non-pulsing until activated, after which the writing will pulse with the activator's heartbeat. If there is more than one activator the writing with remain at a constant glow. There are two ways Grimmstones can form._

_The first is the rarest and often found in the graveyards dedicated to innocent lives lost in war. They form when a series of events happen in a specific order that could have otherwise been avoided had one thing changed. These stones can only be activated by someone's dying blood. _

_The second is more common and can be found anywhere. They form when a person regrets that they have to die so soon, generally meaning they are sorry they can't do more for certain people. Those same people are the only ones who can activate the stone. Up until that point anyone who touches the stone will only receive images of how the dead one last saw the ones meant to activate the stone. If the stone is not activated before the ones meant to activate die then the stone will disappear._

"So that massive knight in Grimm armor?" Yang finally asked, reading over the words again. Gwen tapped the middle paragraph. "And the dying blood was yours."

"Most definitely. We could go back and see if those marks pulse with mine just to be certain though," the wolf answered, indicating to her Corrupted arm. The ribbon from last night was still tied around it.

"What are you two talking about?" Weiss asked, causing Gwen to jump again. The wolf grinned sheepishly and tossed over her notebook. A tense silence grew as the other three read the new information. Yang sighed and rubbed her temples. Today was going to be a long day.

"So the one thing that needed to change for the message not to appear was discrimination towards the Faunus right?" The hopeful note to Blake's voice was just barely there. Gwen shrugged.

"Most likely. I can't be certain of anything without reading the Grimmstone."

"You said you lost your eye when you learned this knowledge," Ruby stated with a frown. Gwen flinched and her pupil disappeared briefly again. "When was that?" The wolf dropped a hard glare to the ground. Yang laid a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, trying to offer a little support.

"The same day the SDC attacked." Her voice was barely more than a hard whisper. Another tense silence fell before the wolf took a deep breath and looked up. Her dual colored gaze turned to Yang. The blonde nearly jumped with alarm. "Yang did you...did you at one point wear your hair in pigtails?" The two stared at each other.

"Do I even want to know where you pulled that idea from?"

"Well there's one other Grimmstone that I know of. It's the first one I ever discovered and it covers the design of the second style. When I touched it I saw a little blonde girl with her hair done up in pigtails and an even smaller girl with a red cloak." The notebook clattered to the ground as it slipped from Ruby's fingertips. Yang bolted over to her sister's side as Weiss wrapped her arms tightly around the scythe wielder. Gwen blinked in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No no. It's just...Summer was a Huntress like us and she was killed on a mission. It was supposed to be a clearing out of Grimm but she died from a bullet wound. The entire thing went down at the same time and place as when the SDC attacked your village Gwen." The wolf cringed and looked away with a frown. Yang sighed and rubbed her sister's back. Ruby wasn't making any noise but she wasn't shuddering either. It was odd.

"We have to go back then."

"The council would never approve, especially when they're trying to assemble a task force to wipe out the Grimm before they wipe out us," Blake answered. Shocked stares turned to her. Gwen clenched her teeth and stood.

"They're what?"

"They don't want to deal with the hatred toward the Faunus. They want to destroy the Grimm altogether." The wolf trembled, her ears flicking back and her right eye expanding to full red. A low growl rumbled from her chest as she turned and stormed to the door. "Where are you going?"

"To clear my head, maybe threaten a few people. Depends on who I run into." Gwen didn't wait for an answer before she left the dorm. Out of habit she stopped in the bathroom to change, noting with some relief her bag of clothes was still on the floor. Her jacket had been utterly destroyed though. Biting back another growl the wolf manipulated her aura to form the same trench coat that it had been when the SDC came to Beacon to punish Weiss.

Hands tucked firmly in her pockets the woman strolled through the grounds of Beacon. Running off to confront the council right now would be a bad idea. She wasn't thinking straight. She needed answers to questions she didn't even know. Gwen sighed and paused at the building in front of her.

The prison.

Contained inside was her old friend Natalia, better know as Neo. The mute girl had decided to accept whatever punishment was dealt to her, even though technically she was a victim of Roman's desires. So far they were still going through the list of charges. Every now and then it became apparent that she wasn't involved in some of the events that had happened during the war and before. She hadn't even known about the tons of Dust Roman had stolen.

Also inside was Yang's mom. No one had any luck convincing the woman that her mission was over and that there was no need to kill the Corrupted anymore. Gwen was the most stable to ever live. But something bothered the wolf about that. Raven may have been following her daughter around but there was another reason she was in the area. A Corrupted reason. There were more out there like Gwen, of that the old Huntress was convinced.

Taking a deep breath the wolf turned and marched her way into the prison. Maybe talking to the katana wielder would get some of her confusion cleared up. If there was more like Gwen out there maybe she could gather them up and they could start their own task force. One that would force the humans to start treating Faunus equally. And in their armor they would look like humanoid Grimm. With the threat leveled by the massive knight from before no one could doubt them.

Gwen frowned at the wall as two of the prison guards left to get Raven. Her heart pounded something awful. She would be technically facing her killer at this point. But that was besides the point. There _were _more people out there like her, Corrupted like her. What made them so special to not be insane, bear these tattoos, and their aura be so...manipulative?

"The prisoner you requested Miss Kelling." Pulled from her thoughts by the slightly mechanical voice Gwen nodded her thanks as the guards forced Raven to sit and shackled her to the table. The woman glared at her, red eyes narrowed at the wolf and a scowl tugging at her lips. Gwen frowned and asked the first thing that blurted from her confusion.

"From what I've been able to pick up you left Yang to be raised by her dad when she was a baby. Why?" Well okay then.

"What does it matter to you?" Raven snapped. Gwen arched an eyebrow. This would be an interesting conversation.

"Besides the fact that I'm dating her and don't want to see her hurt? I'm curious as to what possessed you to think that killing people was more important than raising your own daughter."

"_You're dating her?_"

"Sit down. You have no right to be anger at Yang's choices when you never had any influence over how she was raised." That wasn't entirely true but Raven didn't need to know how Yang was always searching for the older woman. Slowly the katana wielder sat, raw anger dancing across her face. Gwen glared, arms folded neatly across her chest and feet propped on the table. "Why did you leave?"

"I didn't. I was always at her side. From the shadows."

"So if that's the case then you should know just how much she wanted to find you. You should know that she was hurt by your apparent absence. You should know that she stepped in as best a big sister can to fill the role of mother for Ruby." The anger was gone, replaced by shock. Gwen frowned. "Or were those the times you were hunting Corrupted?" A scowl off to the side. The wolf leaned forward over the table. "What made hunting the Corrupted more important to you than raising your own daughter?"

"Because they nearly killed me!" the old Huntress blurted out. Her eyes widened slightly and she turned away glaring. Gwen tilted her head. "If they nearly killed me then they would definitely kill Yang."

"But you've been able to kill other Corrupted besides me."

"No. Not like you. You blasted ones with the tattoos are always so damn smart."

"I don't think that's it. I think it's because we're sane." Raven frowned and turned her attention back to the wolf. Gwen sighed and sat back in her seat. "Before you appeared again everyone thought that those who ended up Corrupted also ended up insane. Generally in two ways. The first was to be left alone in a quiet corner lost within their own heads. The second was to just want to kill everyone, just like a Grimm."

"I know of those. They're always just Faunus or just human. Your kind are always half-Faunus." Gwen jumped up and started pacing. If her kind as always half-Faunus there had to be a reason. A reason behind it. Did it have anything to do with that message the Grimmstone had delivered? "I've never been able to kill one of them. They always get away because they're always in groups."

"And I was the first solo one you encountered. Until you came along I had no idea I was Corrupted."

"Seriously? You have a red eye and those tattoos."

"Correct. But I was also missing parts of my memory." The katana wielder rolled her eyes.

"Isn't that convenient."

"Hardly. With those parts missing I didn't realize how much of a sick and twisted bastard my brother was." Gwen paused and turned her attention to the two-way mirror behind her. "Can you guys pull up a video of the message that knight delivered a few days ago?" Her ear twitched as the TV flickered to life on the wall. Raven frowned as the message replayed. Gwen scanned the symbols, confirming that they were indeed the ones for lies. But those lies could become truths if that task force went through.

"I've never encountered a Corrupted who used a claymore as a weapon," Raven muttered under her breath. Gwen decided to not mention that was her weapon of choice when she lost control. "How did this thing form?"

"Do you know of Grimmstones?"

"I've come across some yes. Never quite understood what they were for though."

"They deliver a message. The ones you found probably can be activated by certain people. This one was certain events that happened that could have been avoided had one thing changed and my own dying blood."

"You nearly died before?"

"Yes."

"How the hell are you alive?"

"My semblance is healing." The woman sighed and tugged at the cuffs. She scowled before dropping her head onto the table to rub her temples. Gwen pretended to not hear her irritated mumbling.

"What's being done then? I recognized that place as where they made gravestones for all the innocents who died in the war so obviously the one thing that needed to change was hating against the Faunus."

"Very little actually. The council has elected to ignore the true meaning behind the message. Instead they want to kill all the Grimm in the world."

"_What?!" _

"Which is why I need your help," Gwen finally said with a frown. Raven blinked at her, nostrils flaring slightly in anger. "You know the locations of all the Corrupted like me. I want to assemble a task force that would do this knight's bidding." She jabbed a finger at the screen. "How exactly it would work I've yet to figure out but maybe they have ideas themselves. I just need to find them."

"But the Corrupted are dangerous! They nearly killed me!"

"And Cinder Fall, a human, killed thousands with her orders. Roman Torchwick destroyed the lives and businesses of hundreds with his thieving. Let's not forget the feud between humans and Faunus in general. The act of one does not dictate the act of the rest." Raven huffed and looked off to the side. Gwen sighed. "Right now you hold the power to changing the world. The question is, what are you going to do with it." The wolf leaned back and waited. Ten minutes later she stood and sighed, realizing she was getting no where. "When you make up your mind have the guards contact me. Hopefully I should still be here."

"You're going to look for the Corrupted on your own?" Raven asked, surprise clear in her voice. Gwen paused at the door, having not thought of that.

"Not this trip. I'm taking Yang and Ruby back to the area of my home village. The Grimmstone formed when Ruby's mom died can only be activated by them."

"Summer was involved in the attack on a village? That doesn't sound like her at all."

"Not the way you're thinking I assure you. She was clearing out Grimm in the area. The SDC just didn't want anyone famous knowing of their involvement with the death of my family. So they killed her."

"You're a Kelling." The realization was quiet and surprised. Gwen turned around and spread her arms.

"I'm also a Schnee. My father defied his family when he married my mother, the eldest Kelling daughter. So here I am, the child of the two most powerful families in the world. But the only power I'm concerned with is the power that these Corrupted could bring to the table in ending this blasted feud between Faunus and human." Another long silence followed.

Finally Raven sighed and dropped her head back onto the table. She made a motion to come back over and Gwen smiled in relief. Yes she would show Yang and Ruby the Grimmstone of Summer Rose. After that the world would be changing, one way or another.

**A/N Okay then….looks like this story won't end quite before the new year. Maybe a little after it. But this story really is almost over. I won't expand it into showing just how Gwen ends up changing the world. That'll add too many chapters. And really that would work better as a series of one-shots I think. Or just as a sequel in general. Yah sequel.**

**Paired with that sequel will likely be a series of one-shot stories mashed together with different highlights of Yang's and Gwen's relationship. That's likely going to be called 'The Dragon and the Knight' based on the suggestion from animal56 to make a sequel under that title. Big thanks to them for that and for sticking with me for this entire story XD. Now hopefully I can finish it soon.**


	24. Welcome Home - Revised

Yang leaned against Gwen's shoulder as the airship sailed through the sky. They were headed back to Summer's gravestone. From there the wolf would take the lead to relocate the Grimmstone. Finally some answers could come forth. Although how this message would portray no one knew. The marks wouldn't light until the stone was activated and Gwen had never had the chance to truly examine the Grimmstone. It was hard to see dark red on black at a passing glance.

The wolf had her scroll out, trying to see if there was a pattern to where the Corrupted appeared. She had explained quietly that her walk had lead to confronting Raven and Yang still couldn't decide if she was mad or surprised at that. Her girlfriend had always shown to be afraid of anyone who tried killing her and the blonde's mother had actually killed the wolf. There was something she was missing but she needed to figure out her own thoughts.

Raven had left to try and make the world safer for Yang. And claimed to always be in the shadows. That certainly explained the feeling of being watched all the time. Thinking back on it now the times she didn't feel like she was being watched was whenever she would look for her mother. A brief pained smile flickered over Yang's lips. All she had to do was look a little harder at the shadows.

Ruby was silent for the most part but it wasn't the same pained silence as the first time they made this trip. It was an apprehensive silence. No one was quite sure what the message would be from the Grimmstone. It could ease some of the pain or cause even more of it. That was assuming Gwen could find the stone again.

Weiss had the scythe wielder in her arms and was trying to ignore the nagging voice in her head. Her father had been taken into custody on account of ordering the Kelling family wiped out. The fencer contemplated what finally pushed the public and thus the council into bringing her father in. He could make all their lives a living hell if he wanted. No one refined Dust like the SDC. It had to have been that massive knight from the Grimmstone Gwen activated. The SDC was a major factor in the feud between human and Faunus.

Another irritating factor was that she was still expected to take over the company. Even though she had stepped down as heiress and dropped the Schnee family name. It was a major headache but maybe this could work. Leaving the company to Winter would let it descend into bankruptcy and nothing would really change. All that would happen was harder work and less pay off for the Faunus in the work camps. That _would_ change things but for the worse.

Maybe she should actually take over the company. Take back her family name and turn it around. After school was done. It was only a year left. Surely Winter couldn't do that much damage in a year?

No her sister could. Weiss wouldn't allow that to happen. One way or another she'd change the legacy that was her family name. Her uncle hadn't had the chance but maybe she could with Gwen's help. She doubted her cousin would take on the Schnee name though. Not being one of the only two Kellings left alive.

They still hadn't told Gwen that tracer chip was still active, still going strong, and had stayed in its new location. In the same area they were headed back to. Everything circled back to the blasted snow it seemed. Weiss rubbed her forehead briefly and took a glance around the room.

Yang and Gwen were passing the wolf's scroll back and forth amongst them. The fencer shook her head. She had no idea what they were talking about but she was grateful they had decided to not break the silence. Even if it was suffocating.

Blake was lost in her own thoughts. She had been the only one there when Weiss had been contacted about taking over the company. Ruby and Yang had left to get permission for the trip (they were technically still in school despite going through that blasted war) and Gwen had still been taking her walk. The cat Faunus didn't like it anymore than the fencer and still didn't, if her clenched jaw was anything to go by. But maybe Weiss could convince her adopted sister that they needed to do this together. Having Blake's input would greatly help making amends. The fencer would place money on the fact that those workcamps were built to make humans comfortable but not Faunus. And she had no idea how to change those places to make them comfortable.

The airship touched down, jolting them all out of their thoughts. Yang and Gwen shared a look before the wolf put away her scroll. Ruby stood silently but quickly. Her face was set and she didn't draw up her hood like that last time. The pace was a quick march, sharp and determined. They were getting answers, one way or another. At least this time Weiss was able to walk at her girlfriend's side.

None of them spoke a word, not even when they reached the gravestone nearly an hour later. Ruby paused briefly to pay her respects but didn't linger like she usually would. Silver eyes turned to Gwen and the wolf nodded, taking the lead. She led them right of the gravestone, in the opposite direction of the SDC's old base. If she started on a northeastern path she'd be headed toward the tracer. The scythe wielder glanced briefly at her arm guard. The signal still hadn't moved.

Around them the silence was still and caught. Like waiting for an explosion of something. The wolf was well used to it, ears flicking around. The White Fang may have taken over the main SDC base but there were little camps scattered around. If she remembered correctly one such camp was near the graveyard. It was a rather recent addition which was the only reason why she hadn't been caught making those graves.

"There's no Grimm in the area," Blake pointed out in a low mumble. Gwen frowned. Her missing presence should have caused a spike in Grimm in the area. The SDC wouldn't kill the monsters unless absolutely necessary. What had happened?

"Something's out there, regardless. The animals were silent before we got here." There had been no cry of alarm, no hurried shuffling to hide. Something had spooked the animals before the group's arrival. Absently Gwen formed her aura sword into her hand. Ever since losing her forearm it had much easier to control her aura. It was like the more Corrupted she appeared the easier it was to control the smoky black mist that was her aura.

_What if it's actually a Grimm form? Like I have my normal form and then when the armor appears is when I'm actually Grimm? No...I have my senses. But so do Grimm. At least the ones that have lived for a very long time. Is this knight Grimm the most sophisticated type of Grimm? Or is it only achievable through union, because of the fact I'm a half-Faunus? _

"Dust. All these people came to investigate what happened to the Kelling family?" Weiss' shocked voice jolted the wolf out of her musings. They had come upon the graveyard. The snow was packed down, letting the gravestones peek through. Gwen frowned. That wasn't right. She hadn't done that in a very long time.

"I think some came to start up their own village. Regardless no one was allowed to know what happened here," the taller whitette answered. She moved toward the oldest of the gravemarkers, little more than chunks of wood with words carved into them. These had been the first bodies she had found but didn't know how long they had been in the area. The first few years the two siblings had just run around trying to be one step ahead of the SDC. They had found a lot of bodies that they had no idea how long they had been there.

"Where there ever any horses in the area?" Blake asked, looking at something in the snow. The wolf's frown deepened. The only horses she was aware of were the three that had appeared at the White Fang base. Had those three riders been the reason the Grimm were gone and the snow packed down here?

"This print is huge!" Gwen crossed over and examined the hoof print in the snow. It was easily the size of her entire hand. Actually much larger. Those three horses hadn't seemed that big. Of course she was close to death when she saw them so that could be a factor.

Noise from the north. Gwen's head whipped around as a small flock of birds shot into the air. She jumped to her feet as more birds were disturbed, headed in their direction. Behind her RWBY deployed their weapons, the grate of metal harsh in the snowy silence. The wolf's ears perked forward. Whatever was coming for them was massive in size and moving fast.

A horse burst into the graveyard, midnight black with burning red eyes. It whinnied excitedly and pranced around, confusing the group. A bright red mark pulsed on it's hind quarters but the creature wouldn't stay still long enough for Gwen to understand what it said. Slowly the group lowered their weapons, only to bolt back to a guarded stance when the horse galloped over to the wolf and nearly knocked her over.

"What in the Dust is wrong with you?" Gwen asked, stumbling back with a scowl. The horse paused and stared at her for a brief second before dancing around her in a circle. "Will you hold still!" Instantly the massive animal paused, watching the wolf eagerly.

"Gwen…"

"I have no idea. There were horses in the village but I thought they were killed too. I thought the whole damn village was killed besides me and James." Carefully the wolf reached out and brushed her fingers through the horse's mane. It whinnied again and whipped its head around to lick her hand.

"Did you have a horse?" Weiss asked gently. It wouldn't surprise her in the slightest. Her father had tried to teach her horse back riding and she still remembered the basics. But she hadn't really liked the activity.

"Not technically. They were for the warriors. There was one foal there that only listened to me. We never understood why."

"And did it look like this one?"

"_All _the horses looked the same. Big, black, red eyes, with a red mark on the hind quarters. Only the mark and size was really different."

"Is it a Grimm symbol?" Yang asked, nodding to the pulsing red mark on the horse's body. By now Gwen had been able to step into the creature's personal space, still running her fingers through its mane. The horse had wrapped its head around her back in some sort of odd human-horse hug. The wolf sighed and turned her attention to the mark.

"Yah it means...Jetstream?!" The horse whinnied happily again and danced around. Gone was the confusion from Gwen's face replaced with shock. The team exchanged glances as the horse nudged the unresponsive wolf. Shakily she cupped the horse's face, touching their foreheads together. "I thought you were killed. Where have you been all this time?"

"Jetstream you brat how ma-" The newcomer stopped short, jerking on the reins of her own horse. Amber eyes, similar to Blake's but with a harsher edge, regarded the group. Gwen frowned, trying to place this person. They had to be from her village...right? It was almost too much to hope for. "What. The. Hell."

"Could ask you the same thing," Yang shot back with ease. Amber eyes snapped to her and it suddenly struck the blonde the red tattoos that encircled those eyes. Another Corrupted half-Faunus? The woman glared at the group for a brief moment before turning to the horse and Gwen.

"Are you the reason he's gone crazy?" Gwen jolted out of her shock and knelt suddenly. The rider huffed as the wolf tugged up her pants leg to examine one of her own marks. Sitting innocently on the side of Gwen's knee was the same mark that decorated Jetstream's hind quarters. Dual colored eyes turned to the horse.

"You knew," she whispered softly, standing up slowly. "You knew I would be Corrupted. How did you know?" The horse whinnied happily and nudged her again. A soft sigh lifted into the air. "Why did I even bother asking that? You can't even answer me."

"The Lozsog always know who their rider is going to be," the newcomer explained, slipping off her own horse. The creature was a somewhat smaller than Jetstream and a little bit more lean. She crossed over the clearing and examined the wolf a little bit more closely. "That being said who the hell are you?"

"You answer first. I lost some of my memory and I feel like I should know you but I can't place you." One amber eye twitched and Yang finally had enough. With quick strides the blonde made her way to her girlfriend's side and leaned in close. Gwen wrapped her arm around the brawler's shoulders and pulled her closer, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "You really should have listened when I said grab something heavier to wear." Yang gave her a look. "What? You're not doing this because you're cold?" The newcomer face palmed at the wolf's oblivious question.

"Ugh fine. Everyone calls me Yash. Are you going to tell me who you are now?"

"Isn't Yash Neo's last name?" Weiss pointed out with a frown. Gwen nodded, still trying to place Yash in her memory. Neo was adopted into the family...but how many were in that family? Two parents, one human and one Faunus. Did they have another…

"You threw a snowball at my head and the rules were below the shoulders!"

"Dust the first thing you remember is that?!" Yash pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Gwen stared at the other half-Faunus in shock. Other than the amber eyes the other woman didn't look like a Faunus. She didn't have ears or a tail. Maybe claws? They wouldn't be usable with the gloves she was wearing. "Yes I threw a snowball at your head. I misjudged your height because you were so damn short then."

"I was three. And you were eight. Of course I was short to you."

"And now you're taller than me. Happy?" Yash shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. Now that it had become apparent the two half-Faunus knew each other years ago she wasn't so hostile. "I suppose I need to take you back to the village. It's going to be dark soon."

"The village...survived?"

"More or less. Only a few of us escaped, namely the warriors. James never told you?" The wolf scowled as they started following Yash northward. Neither Corrupted got onto their horse. Yang interlaced her fingers through Gwen's and received a small squeeze in response.

"James never told me anything. He only controlled me when I lost control of my aura." Yash's head whipped around and studied the wolf carefully.

"Shit you've been there? And survived?"

"Uh…"

"Look usually when we lose control of our auras it's because we're close to death. Many of us actually do die. I've never lost control myself and I really don't want to."

"My semblance is healing." The older half-Faunus threw her hands into the air and made an odd noise in the back her throat. Gwen stuck her tongue out at the other's back.

"Why did you come here anyway?"

"The Grimmstone." Yash paused and turned back around. She examined the team slowly, gaze lingering on Ruby and Yang just a moment longer than Weiss and Blake. "I have a general idea where it is."

"I know where it is exactly. I'll show you tomorrow. For now let's get you guys back to the village. Storm's coming in." At that precise moment the wind howled sharply. Gwen's ears perked as sounds carried on it. Yash smirked slightly. "Yah we're close. Just through these trees."

"I didn't think they left the buildings standing."

"Most were destroyed. We've had to rebuild. Thankfully they didn't know about the Dust mines here. It's made rebuilding a little easier."

"You've incorporated Dust into building materials?" Weiss asked, shock clear on her face. As far as she knew it could only be used as an energy source. Yash eyed the fencer curiously.

"In some things. Mostly we've lined the edges of buildings to keep out bugs and animals and the cold. We've been working on Dust lit glass as well but that keeps exploding or melting. You'll see. Oi! Open the damn gate!" Without realizing it they had come upon the village. Gwen stared at the metal castle like gate with her jaw slowly dropping open. She hadn't expected any of the village to be standing honestly and the gate...That was the biggest surprise.

"Sure thing Yash!" a high pitched voice called back. It sounded like it belonged to a ten year old. Slowly the gate rolled open, sinking into the ground. Yash grumbled under her breath about how slow the damn thing was.

Finally the gate was fully open. More metal slide across the opening, covering the gap. Beyond the streets were dimly lit by the light from the buildings. A layer of slush covered the road, trodden down by many pairs of feet. In the distance there was some sort of ice skating rink. Yash turned around to face the group and gestured to the village with one arm while bowing low.

"Welcome home Gwen."

**A/N So apparently I can only work at school? Like I literally had no motivation to work on my story over the holiday break. Which is weird. I did sleep a lot though. Anyway I'm back in school and this story is almost done. Not sure what I'm going to do next, the sequel to this, Lumi's backstory (I'm going to be that ass who develops the characters of Qrow, Summer, Raven and Taiyang because I need it for my story), or the high school AU. I might do the high school one because that'll be the easiest. Sort of.**


End file.
